ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2020
Rapid cancer diagnosis for patients with vague symptoms: a cost-effectiveness study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05876676 (Rapid Diagnostic Centre Biomarker Study), which is not on this map. Cited by 22 papers.
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.
Rapid Diagnostic Centre Biomarker Study
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation of a targeted cancer awareness intervention for adults living in deprived areas of the UK.British journal of cancer · 2021Trial
- Diagnostic Implications of Multi-Cancer Early Detection Testing in the Investigation of Cancer Symptoms: An Exploratory Retrospective Analysis of the SYMPLIFY Study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- Later-Stage Diagnosis and Poorer Survival in Pancreatic Cancer Patients With Vague Symptoms: A Population-Based Study.United European gastroenterology journal · 2026Article
- A real-world evaluation of the rapid diagnostic clinic roll out in South East London.Future oncology (London, England) · 2025Article
- Doing 'detective work' to find a cancer: how are non-specific symptom pathways for cancer investigation organised, and what are the implications for safety and quality of care? A multisite qualitative approach.BMJ quality & safety · 2025Article
- Modeled Benefit of Individual Cancer Signal Origin Prediction for Multi-Cancer Early Detection.Cancer research communications · 2025Article
- Exploring the policy implementation of a holistic approach to cancer investigation in non-specific symptom pathways in England: An ethnographic study.Journal of health services research & policy · 2025Article
- Diagnostic flow for all patients referred with non-specific symptoms of cancer to a diagnostic centre in Denmark: A descriptive study.The European journal of general practice · 2024Article
- Real-world data evaluating Guy's rapid diagnostic clinic as an alternate pathway for patients with FIT levels below 10.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Article
- The Effectiveness and Cost-Effectiveness of Community Diagnostic Centres: A Rapid Review.International journal of public health · 2024Review
- Circulating tumour cells for early detection of clinically relevant cancer.Nature reviews. Clinical oncology · 2023Review
- Earlier cancer diagnosis in primary care: a feasibility economic analysis of ThinkCancer!BJGP open · 2023Article
- Article
- Lung cancer and Covid-19: lessons learnt from the pandemic and where do we go from here?NPJ primary care respiratory medicine · 2022Article
- Piloting a novel cancer care pathway: socioeconomic background as a barrier to access.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2022Article
- Discrete-Event Simulation Modeling in Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Rapid Diagnostic Centres and early cancer diagnosis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Article
- Setting up a rapid diagnostic clinic for patients with vague symptoms of cancer: a mixed method process evaluation study.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Factors influencing the delivery of cancer pathways: a summary of the literature.Journal of health organization and management · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA pilot rapid diagnosis centre (RDC) allows GPs within targeted clusters to refer adults with vague and/or non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, who do not meet criteria for referral under an urgent suspected cancer (USC) pathway, to a multidisciplinary RDC clinic where they are seen within 1 week.
aimTo explore the cost-effectiveness of the RDC compared with standard clinical practice. DESIGN AND
settingCost-effectiveness modelling using routine data from Neath Port Talbot Hospital, Wales.
methodDiscrete-event simulation modelled a cohort of 1000 patients from referral to radiological diagnosis based on routine RDC and hospital data. Control patients were those referred to a USC pathway but then downgraded. Published sources provided estimates of patient quality of life (QoL) and pre-diagnosis anxiety. The model calculates time to diagnosis, costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and estimates the probability of the RDC being a cost-effective strategy.
resultsThe RDC reduces mean time to diagnosis from 84.2 days in usual care to 5.9 days if a diagnosis is made at clinic, or 40.8 days if further investigations are booked during RDC. RDC provision is the superior strategy (that is, less costly and more effective) compared with standard clinical practice when run near or at full capacity. However, it is not cost-effective if capacity utilisation drops below 80%.
conclusionAn RDC for patients presenting with vague or non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer in primary care reduces time to diagnosis and provides excellent value for money if run at ≥80% capacity.
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