ArticleAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2012
Early symptoms of bone and soft tissue sarcomas: could they be diagnosed earlier?
Article in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Patients' experiences of the path to sarcoma diagnosis: a qualitative systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- The sarcoma diagnostic interval: a systematic review on length, contributing factors and patient outcomes.ESMO open · 2020Pooled it
- Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with soft tissue sarcoma by the Spanish group for research in sarcomas (GEIS).Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology · 2016Guideline
- Article
- How Much Do Healthcare Practitioners Know About Sarcoma?Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2026Article
- Observational
- Article
- Actionable diagnostic delay in primary malignant bone tumors: a trigger-to-action framework for first-contact clinicians.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Use of healthcare services and prescription medication prior to sarcoma diagnosis in children, adolescents, and young adults in 1997-2020: a population-based cohort study.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2025Article
- Defining Core Competencies for Generalists in Musculoskeletal Oncology: A Latin-American Consensus for Medical Education.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025Article
- Spontaneous Muscle Bleeding During Oral Anticoagulation Therapy: When Should We Suspect an Underlying Tumor?Hematology reports · 2025Review
- Evaluation of primary physicians' awareness regarding the radiological findings of osteosarcoma: A retrospective study.Medicine · 2025Observational
- Diagnostic Delay in Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A Review.Cancers · 2025Review
- The Prediagnostic General Practitioners' Pathway of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Patients: A Real-World Data Study.Cancers · 2025Article
- Assessing Sarcoma Awareness Among the General Population in Minnesota: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study from the Minnesota State Fair in 2015 and 2022.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2025Article
- Review
- Evaluation of sarcopenia's relationship with overall survival and treatment toxicity in soft tissue sarcomas.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025Article
- Pain Accelerates, Swelling and Sensory Disturbances Delay Diagnosis in Mesenchymal Tumors.Cancers · 2025Article
- A comparative study on DeepSeek and ChatGPT for bone and soft tissue tumor clinical practice.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Review
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionDelays in diagnosis are common for patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) despite guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. This study set out to identify early symptoms experienced by patients and reasons for delays in making a definitive diagnosis.
methodsRetrospective interviews were carried out with 107 patients (66 with an STS and 41 with a bone sarcoma) presenting to a specialist centre. Symptoms were determined prior to definitive diagnosis and the occurrence of patient and doctor delays in reaching specialist care.
resultsThe median patient delay was 1 month while the median doctor delay was 3.2 months from first symptoms to diagnosis for all sarcomas. Forty-nine patients with STS (74%) presented initially to their general practitioner with at least one guideline feature to prompt urgent referral. Only 2 patients (4%), however, were referred directly to a sarcoma unit, with 21 (43%) referred to secondary care for investigation. Patients with a lump increasing in size exhibited longer patient delays while doctor delay was shorter for deep lumps. Thirty-six patients with a bone sarcoma (88%) presented initially with symptoms to prompt further investigation. Nevertheless, significant delays (3.9 months) were seen in reaching specialist care. Only 4 patients (10%) were referred directly to a sarcoma unit at first presentation, with 21 (54%) referred for further investigation elsewhere.
conclusionsIt is evident that awareness and referral of sarcomas remain poor. We suggest specific amendments to current guidelines and clearer referral pathways for patients. Furthermore, the need for robust education strategies is indicated, predominantly among healthcare professionals.
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