ArticleJournal of clinical medicine2021
The Prolonged Diagnostic Pathway of Young Adults (Aged 25-39) with Cancer in the United Kingdom: Results from the Young Adult Cancer Patient Journey Study.
Article in Journal of clinical medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- "I never thought to bring them up to the doctor": examining symptom appraisal, help-seeking behaviors, and diagnostic delays among young adults with cancer.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2026Article
- Application of patient journey mapping in patients with breast cancer: a scoping review.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Patients' Experiences of a Sarcoma Diagnosis: A Process Mapping Exercise of Diagnostic Pathways.Cancers · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTeenagers and young adults (TYAs; aged 13-24) experience prolonged intervals to cancer diagnosis. Insight into diagnostic intervals in young adults (YAs; aged 25-39) and subgroups at risk for long intervals is lacking. We investigated the diagnostic pathway of YA cancer patients, examined patient and tumor characteristics associated with its length, and compared the patient interval length of our sample with a TYA cohort.
methodsIn this cross-sectional survey YAs diagnosed with cancer in the UK in the past five years completed a questionnaire describing their patient (time from first symptom to first doctor consultation) and healthcare interval (from first consultation until consultation with a cancer specialist), sociodemographic, and clinical characteristics. Associations between characteristics and interval length were examined and compared with previously published data in TYAs.
resultsAmong 341 YAs the patient interval lasted ≥2 weeks, ≥1 month, and ≥3 months in 60%, 42%, and 21%, respectively, compared to 48%, 27%, and 12% in the TYA group. The healthcare interval lasted ≥2 weeks, ≥1 month, and ≥3 months in 62%, 40%, and 17% of YA patients, respectively. YAs with melanoma or cervical cancer were most likely to experience long intervals, whereas YAs with breast cancer and leukemia were most likely to experience short intervals.
conclusionsMost YAs were not seen by a cancer specialist within 2 weeks of GP consultation. Interval lengths in YAs were associated with cancer diagnosis. Patient intervals were longer among YAs than among TYAs. Our study highlights long diagnostic pathways among YAs and calls for more awareness among healthcare professionals about malignancies in this age group.
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