Early GP referrals are likely to lead to cancer patients surviving longer, a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has found.
Early GP referrals are likely to lead to cancer patients surviving longer, a study funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has found.
The analysis of 1.4million cancer patients in England published today in the British Journal of General Practice, led by King’s and Public Health England (PHE), found that cancer patients from the highest referring GP practices had a lower mortality rate. Cancer patients from these same practices were also more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier stage for breast, lung and prostate cancer.
"As a GP, considering a cancer diagnosis is not easy. A typical full time GP would have 8-9 new cancer cases per year but sees many patients who have symptoms which could be due to cancer. The urgent referral, or two-week wait pathway, is very helpful for both patients, with potentially worrying symptoms, and their GPs who can fast track them to have a specialist review or tests. This research shows that GPs are referring substantially more patients with suspected cancer, which is making a real impact in improving cancer outcomes in the NHS." - – Dr Thomas Round, from the Population Health & Environmental Sciences, King’s College London
1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetimes, with over 360,000 new cases and 165,000 cancer deaths per year in the UK. However similar countries have better cancer survival rates, with potentially 5,000-10,000 avoidable cancer deaths per year in the UK if our survival rates matched those in other countries. Early diagnosis is a key component to increasing cancer survival rates.
Read more at King's College London
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