SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2022
Factors affecting the decision to investigate older adults with potential cancer symptoms: a systematic review.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions of Decision-Making for Older Patients with Cancer Receiving Systemic Therapy: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2026Pooled it
- Treatment delay significantly increases mortality in colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.GeroScience · 2025Pooled it
- Differences in clinical presentation and treatment decisions between frail and not-frail head and neck cancer patients.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Health care use and costs associated with clinically impactful immune-related adverse events during immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for non-small cell lung cancer.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2026Article
- Variations in the investigation of colorectal cancer-related symptoms in Australian primary care: a retrospective cohort study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Increased incidence, survival, and registration quality of primary hepato-pancreato-biliary cancers in the Netherlands Cancer Registry.International journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Letter to the Editor: "Global statistics and risk factors of neoplasms in the elderly, and the impact of aging on neoplasms from 1990-2021".International journal of surgery (London, England) · 2026Article
- Patterns of diagnostic testing for oesophagogastric cancer-related symptoms in Australian primary care: a retrospective cohort study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Understanding Cancer Care for Nursing Home Residents Living With Dementia: An Ethnographic Study.Psycho-oncology · 2025Article
- Are we ready? assessing effectiveness and implementation of cancer control strategies in primary care: a comprehensive review of systematic reviews.Family practice · 2025Review
- Which patients with symptoms should be referred urgently for investigation of suspected cancer?BMJ oncology · 2024Article
- End of Life Events and Causes of Death in Danish Long-Lived Siblings: Reduced Dementia Risk Compared to Sporadic Long-Livers.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2024Article
- The Effect of Older Age and Frailty on the Time to Diagnosis of Cancer: A Connected Bradford Electronic Health Records Study.Cancers · 2022Article
- Immune-Related Adverse Events After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Melanoma Among Older Adults.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- The LncRNA DUXAP10 Could Function as a Promising Oncogene in Human Cancer.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOlder age and frailty increase the risk of morbidity and mortality from cancer surgery and intolerance of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The effect of old age on diagnostic intervals is unknown; however, older adults need a balanced approach to the diagnosis and management of cancer symptoms, considering the benefits of early diagnosis, patient preferences, and the likely prognosis of a cancer.
aimTo examine the association between older age and diagnostic processes for cancer, and the specific factors that affect diagnosis. DESIGN AND
settingA systematic literature review.
methodElectronic databases were searched for studies of patients aged >65 years presenting with cancer symptoms to primary care considering diagnostic decisions. Studies were analysed using thematic synthesis and according to the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis guidelines.
resultsData from 54 studies with 230 729 participants were included. The majority of studies suggested an association between increasing age and prolonged diagnostic interval or deferral of a decision to investigate cancer symptoms. Thematic synthesis highlighted three important factors that resulted in uncertainty in decisions involving older adults: presence of frailty, comorbidities, and cognitive impairment. Data suggested patients wished to be involved in decision making, but the presence of cognitive impairment and the need for additional time within a consultation were significant barriers.
conclusionThis systematic review has highlighted uncertainty in the management of older adults with cancer symptoms. Patients and their family wished to be involved in these decisions. Given the uncertainty regarding optimum management of this group of patients, a shared decision-making approach is important.
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