ArticleBMC family practice2008
Pathways to the diagnosis of lung cancer in the UK: a cohort study.
Article in BMC family practice, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Quantifying intervals to diagnosis in myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2018Pooled it
- Immediate chest X-ray for patients at risk of lung cancer presenting in primary care: randomised controlled feasibility trial.British journal of cancer · 2017Trial
- The effect of direct access to CT scan in early lung cancer detection: an unblinded, cluster-randomised trial.BMC cancer · 2015Trial
- Implementing direct access to low-dose computed tomography in general practice--method, adaption and outcome.PloS one · 2014Trial
- Trial
- Improving the timeliness of care for regional lung cancer patients through the implementation of a web-based lung cancer referral pathway.Internal medicine journal · 2025Article
- Diagnosis of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer during Hospitalization: Missed Opportunity for Optimal Supportive Care?Cancers · 2024Article
- A taxonomy of early diagnosis research to guide study design and funding prioritisation.British journal of cancer · 2023Review
- Pathways to lung cancer diagnosis among individuals who did not receive lung cancer screening: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Understanding patient barriers and facilitators to uptake of lung screening using low dose computed tomography: a mixed methods scoping review of the current literature.Respiratory research · 2022Article
- Variation in ovarian cancer care in Australia: An analysis of patterns of care in diagnosis and initial treatment in New South Wales.European journal of cancer care · 2022Article
- Article
- Alignment between the patient's cancer worry and the GP's cancer suspicion and the association with the interval between first symptom presentation and referral: a cross-sectional study in Denmark.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Difficulties in Accessing Cancer Care in a Small Island State: A Community-Based Pilot Study of Cancer Survivors in Saint Lucia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Lung Cancer Pre-Diagnostic Pathways from First Presentation to Specialist Referral.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2021Article
- Consensus study on the health system and patient-related barriers for lung cancer management in South Africa.PloS one · 2021Article
- A Multidisciplinary Lung Cancer Program: Does It Reduce Delay Between Diagnosis and Treatment?Lung · 2020Article
- Lung cancer awareness and palliative care interventions implemented in low-and middle-income countries: a scoping review.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Optimal Care Pathways for People with Lung Cancer- a Scoping Review of the Literature.International journal of integrated care · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer death in the UK. Patients generally present to their general practitioner, but the pathway of diagnosis from first symptom to diagnosis has not been mapped. We performed a cohort study of 246 patients with lung cancer in Exeter, Devon UK. All patients had their cancer symptoms, referrals and diagnoses identified and dated using their doctors' records.
resultsThree main routes to diagnosis emerged. The first was the expected route of outpatient referral; 150 (61% of the cohort) of patients took this route, although only 110 (45% of the whole cohort, 73% of those referred to outpatients) were referred to a respiratory department. 56 (23%) were admitted as an emergency, having previously described a lung cancer symptom to their doctor. 26 patients (11%) had no symptom of lung cancer reported before their diagnosis. The interval from first symptom to referral was similar across the different pathways. However, the referral to diagnosis interval was longer in patients misdirected to other outpatient departments (66 days, interquartile range 37,110) than those sent to respiratory clinics (29 days, 17,61) or admitted as an emergency (16 days 8,40); p < 0.001.
conclusionOnly a minority of lung cancer patients follow the traditional route to diagnosis. Clinical and research efforts need to consider the alternative routes if they are to maximise their impact on speed of diagnosis.
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