ArticleBritish journal of cancer2016
Do colorectal cancer patients diagnosed as an emergency differ from non-emergency patients in their consultation patterns and symptoms? A longitudinal data-linkage study in England.
Article in British journal of cancer, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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
61 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 98 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic windows in non-neoplastic diseases: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Pooled it
- Determinants of emergency presentation in patients with colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2022Pooled it
- Safe investigation of isolated change in bowel habit with a flexible sigmoidoscopy? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- Blood test trend versus single threshold abnormality to discriminate cancer from non-cancer in patients with unexpected weight loss: A retrospective cohort study.PLoS medicine · 2026Article
- Clinical spotlight review: best practices for the management of colorectal cancer in the emergency and acute care setting.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Review
- Prediagnostic prescription patterns in pancreatic cancer: a retrospective primary care cohort study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Digital quality measure of potentially avoidable emergency presentations among patients with colorectal cancer.BMJ quality & safety · 2026Article
- Article
- Prediagnostic primary care consultations and imaging in emergency-diagnosed versus referred patients with lung cancer: a population-based linked data study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Inequalities in Gastrointestinal Care Provision in the United Kingdom.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Review
- Emergency rectal cancer: clinical presentation and therapeutic options.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Article
- A UK population-based case-control study of blood tests before cancer diagnosis in patients with non-specific abdominal symptoms.British journal of cancer · 2025Article
- Prognostic Factors of Postoperative Mortality in Patients with Complicated Right Colon Cancer.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Navigating Emergency Management of Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study on First-Time, End-Stage, and Other Established Diagnoses in a High Turnover Emergency County Hospital.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Observational
- Article
- Emergency department use before cancer diagnosis in Ontario, Canada: a population-based study.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2024Article
- Improving colorectal cancer in Alberta, Canada: a qualitative study of patients and close contacts' perceptions on diagnosis following an emergency department presentation.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Presentation at a National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center and a Safety-Net Hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Medical research archives · 2024Article
- Learning from new colorectal cancers: a qualitative synthesis of significant event reports.BJGP open · 2024Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMore than 20% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed following an emergency presentation. We aimed to examine pre-diagnostic primary-care consultations and related symptoms comparing patients diagnosed as emergencies with those diagnosed through non-emergency routes.
methodsCohort study of colorectal cancers diagnosed in England 2005 and 2006 using cancer registration data individually linked to primary-care data (CPRD/GPRD), allowing a detailed analysis of clinical information referring to the 5-year pre-diagnostic period.
resultsEmergency diagnosis occurred in 35% and 15% of the 1029 colon and 577 rectal cancers. 'Background' primary-care consultations (2-5 years before diagnosis) were similar for either group. In the year before diagnosis, >95% of emergency and non-emergency presenters had consulted their doctor, but emergency presenters had less frequently relevant symptoms (colon cancer: 48% vs 71% (P<0.001); rectal cancer: 49% vs 61% (P=0.043)). 'Alarm' symptoms were recorded less frequently in emergency presenters (e.g., rectal bleeding: 9 vs 24% (P=0.002)). However, about 1/5 of emergency presenters (18 and 23% for colon and rectal cancers) had 'alarm' symptoms the year before diagnosis.
conclusionsEmergency presenters have similar 'background' consultation history as non-emergency presenters. Their tumours seem associated with less typical symptoms, however opportunities for earlier diagnosis might be present in a fifth of them.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.