Third of cancer patients wait for referrals

A THIRD of patients who believe they have cancer symptoms see their GP twice or more before being referred to a specialist, a new report has found.

And only 57 per cent of patients saw a specialist within two weeks of being referred – in line with Government targets – despite their doctor suspecting they might have cancer.

One-fifth had to visit their GP twice before being referred, eight per cent went three times, three per cent four times and four per cent five or more times. Nearly 10 per cent were not referred at all.

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Those with cancer of the lung, ovary, pancreas, lymphoma, myeloma and stomach were most likely to visit their GP three or more times, as did young men aged between 25 and 29.

The study, commissioned by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), is the largest of its kind and covers 14 per cent of all practices in England.

It also found some evidence of delays in sending referral letters to specialists, with 57 per cent of letters sent within a fortnight of the patient’s first appointment with their GP.

11 per cent were sent within 15-31 days and 7.4 per cent within 32-62 days. A small minority weren’t sent until six months after the appointment.

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This is despite a Government pledge that all cancer patients would be referred to a specialist within two weeks.

Health bosses said the research showed referral times were getting better.

Dr Clare Gerada, chair of the RCGP, said: “This report shows that in General Practice we do a very good job of identifying our patients who have cancer, and in referring them quickly for specialist treatment.

“While there are groups of patients where we do, for various reasons, have difficulty in making a rapid diagnosis, we must be proud that the majority are being identified and put into secondary care quickly. At the same time, we must always be looking at how we can improve.”

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Chris Carrigan, head of the National Cancer Intelligence Network, said: “Collecting and evaluating data on how quickly cancer patients are sent for referral by their GP is crucial to equip us with the knowledge to improve early detection of the disease.

“This study allowed us to analyse data from the time a patient first visits the GP with symptoms to follow up tests at the hospital.

“But understanding and improving diagnosis, treatment and outcomes for patients is complex. This data gives us one piece of a jigsaw puzzle but we need to continue to hunt for these pieces of data so that we can build a clear picture of where delays could be occurring.

“Early detection really is the key to improving survival rates in the country in order to bring England’s cancer survival in line with the best in Europe.”

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But the Government was joined by cancer charities in saying that more needed to be done to speed up the referral process.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “This audit is welcomed as it helps us to better understand the issues of early diagnosis in primary care.

“Despite recent improvements in cancer care, cancer survival rates in England are still lagging behind other countries.

“It is widely recognised that late diagnosis of cancer is the key reason for this, which is why the early diagnosis of cancer remains a key priority.

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“There are variations across the country that need to be tackled so that everyone receives speedy access to diagnosis and treatment.”

Mike Hobday, director of policy and research at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Overall it is encouraging that the majority of patients visiting their GP are being referred to a specialist after only one or two consultations.

“However, there are still far too many people who are visiting their GP five times or more before being sent for diagnostic tests. This is not good enough.

“It is no surprise that most of the cancers where over 20 per cent of patients had three or more consultations were highlighted in our recent report as having the lowest median survival times.”

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