Hughes, DL, Neal, RD orcid.org/0000-0002-3544-2744, Lyratzopoulos, G et al. (1 more author) (2016) Profiling for primary-care presentation, investigation and referral for liver cancers. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 28 (4). pp. 428-432. ISSN 0954-691X
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: The incidence of liver cancer across Europe is increasing. There is a lack of evidence within the current literature on the identification and investigation of liver cancer within primary care. We aimed to profile liver cancer recognition and assessment as well as the timeliness of liver cancer diagnosis from within the primary-care setting in the UK. METHODS: Data were obtained from the National Audit of Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care 2009-2010 and analysed. We calculated the patient interval, the primary-care interval and the number of prereferral consultations for liver cancer. We then compared these data with prior data on the respective indicators for other common cancers. RESULTS: The median patient interval was 9 days (interquartile range 0-31 days), and the median primary-care interval for liver cancer was 11 days (interquartile range 0-40 days). Of the 90 patients, 21 (23.3%) had three or more consultations with their general practitioner before specialist referral. For the three metrics (patient interval, primary-care interval and number of prereferral consultations), liver cancer has average or longer intervals when compared with other cancers. The most common symptomatic presentation of liver cancer within the primary-care setting was right upper quadrant pain (11%), followed by decompensated liver failure (9%). Of the patients, 12% were diagnosed with liver cancer on the basis of an incidental finding of an abnormal liver function test. CONCLUSION: This study provides a detailed and thorough overview of the recognition of liver cancer and the promptness of liver cancer identification in an English context, and should inform strategies for improving the timeliness of diagnosis.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Primary Care (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2017 14:40 |
Last Modified: | 11 Aug 2017 14:44 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins |
Identification Number: | 10.1097/MEG.0000000000000555 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:119618 |