ArticleBritish journal of cancer2012
Features of childhood cancer in primary care: a population-based nested case-control study.
Article in British journal of cancer, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Presentation of B-cell lymphoma in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cancer · 2024Pooled it
- Is real world evidence influencing practice? A systematic review of CPRD research in NICE guidances.BMC health services research · 2016Pooled it
- The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement.PLoS medicine · 2015Guideline
- A geographical cluster randomised stepped wedge study of continuing medical education and cancer diagnosis in general practice.Implementation science : IS · 2014Trial
- Assessing and investigating children with suspected soft tissue sarcomas: an e-Delphi consensus process.Archives of disease in childhood · 2026Article
- International variation in child healthcare practices and implications for childhood cancer diagnosis: a scoping review and cross-country clinician survey.European journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Identifying children who develop severe chronic kidney disease using primary care records.PloS one · 2025Article
- Concordance with urgent referral guidelines in patients presenting with any of six 'alarm' features of possible cancer: a retrospective cohort study using linked primary care records.BMJ quality & safety · 2022Article
- Socioeconomic position and prediagnostic health care contacts in children with cancer in Denmark: a nationwide register study.BMC cancer · 2021Article
- Parent's perspectives of the pathway to diagnosis of childhood cancer: a matter of diagnostic triage.BMC health services research · 2020Article
- GPs' perspectives of the patient encounter - in the context of standardized cancer patient pathways.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2020Article
- Achieving a timely diagnosis for teenagers and young adults with cancer: the ACE "too young to get cancer?" study.BMC cancer · 2019Article
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- Where are the opportunities for an earlier diagnosis of primary intracranial tumours in children and young adults?European journal of paediatric neurology : EJPN : official journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society · 2017Article
- Improving early diagnosis of symptomatic cancer.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2016Review
- [The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement].Zeitschrift fur Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualitat im Gesundheitswesen · 2016Article
- Increased consultation frequency in primary care, a risk marker for cancer: a case-control study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2016Article
- Primary Care Use before Cancer Diagnosis in Adolescents and Young Adults - A Nationwide Register Study.PloS one · 2016Article
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5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThis study investigated the risk of cancer in children with alert symptoms identified in current UK guidance, or with increased consultation frequency in primary care.
methodsA population-based, nested case-control study used data from the General Practice Research Database. In all, 1267 children age 0-14 years diagnosed with childhood cancer were matched to 15,318 controls. Likelihood ratios and positive predictive values (PPVs) were calculated to assess risk.
resultsAlert symptoms recorded in the 12 and 3 months before diagnosis were present in 33.7% and 27.0% of cases vs 5.4% and 1.4% of controls, respectively. The PPV of having cancer for any alert symptom in the 3 months before diagnosis was 0.55 per 1000 children. Cases consulted more frequently particularly in the 3 months before diagnosis (86% cases vs 41% controls). Of these, 36% of cases and 9% of controls had consulted 4 times or more. The PPV for cancer in a child consulting 4 times or more in 3 months was 0.13 per 1000 children.
conclusionAlert symptoms and frequent consultations are associated with childhood cancer. However, individual symptoms and consultation patterns have very low PPVs for cancer in primary care (e.g., of 10,000 children with a recorded alert symptom, approximately 6 would be diagnosed with cancer within 3 months).
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