Observational studyBritish journal of cancer2022
Consultations for clinical features of possible cancer and associated urgent referrals before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study from English primary care.
Observational study in British journal of cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays and disruptions in cancer care services: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature cancer · 2025Pooled it
- Real-World Validation of PinPoint Blood Tests in the NHS: Multivariable Machine Learning to Predict Cancer Risk in Primary Care Urgent Referrals.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Digital health · 2026Article
- Effect of the English National Enhanced Service on weight management referral rate: an interrupted time-series analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Considerations and experiences with healthcare-seeking during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- The long-lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on population-based cancer survival: what are the implications for data analysis?British journal of cancer · 2025Review
- How GPs communicate the urgent suspected cancer referral pathway to patients: a qualitative study of GP-patient consultations.BJGP open · 2025Article
- AutoML-Driven Insights into Patient Outcomes and Emergency Care During Romania's First Wave of COVID-19.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on electronic referrals to rapid access clinics for suspected breast, lung and prostate cancers in Ireland.European journal of public health · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients' consultation and diagnosis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Transforming post pandemic cancer services.British journal of cancer · 2024Review
- Article
- What is the impact of hospital and surgeon volumes on outcomes in rectal cancer surgery?Colorectal disease : the official journal of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland · 2023Article
- Diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of patients with oesophagogastric cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic: national study.The British journal of surgery · 2023Article
- Delayed diagnosis resulting in increased disease burden in multiple myeloma: the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.Blood cancer journal · 2023Article
- Article
- Article
- Underlying cancer risk among patients with fatigue and other vague symptoms: a population-based cohort study in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Article
- Time intervals in the care pathway to cancer diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: A large retrospective study from a high-volume center.International journal of cancer · 2023Article
- Pandemic delay: social implications and challenges for palliative care.Palliative care and social practice · 2023Article
- What are the similarities and differences in lung cancer symptom appraisal and help-seeking according to smoking status? A qualitative study with lung cancer patients.Psycho-oncology · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIt remains unclear to what extent reductions in urgent referrals for suspected cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic were the result of fewer patients attending primary care compared to GPs referring fewer patients.
methodsCohort study including electronic health records data from 8,192,069 patients from 663 English practices. Weekly consultation rates, cumulative consultations and referrals were calculated for 28 clinical features from the NICE suspected cancer guidelines. Clinical feature consultation rate ratios (CRR) and urgent referral rate ratios (RRR) compared time periods in 2020 with 2019.
findingsConsultations for cancer clinical features decreased by 24.19% (95% CI: 24.04-24.34%) between 2019 and 2020, particularly in the 6-12 weeks following the first national lockdown. Urgent referrals for clinical features decreased by 10.47% (95% CI: 9.82-11.12%) between 2019 and 2020. Overall, once patients consulted with primary care, GPs urgently referred a similar or greater proportion of patients compared to previous years.
conclusionDue to the significant fall in patients consulting with clinical features of cancer there was a lower than expected number of urgent referrals in 2020. Sustained efforts should be made throughout the pandemic to encourage the public to consult their GP with cancer clinical features.
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Registered trials
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