Pathways to the diagnosis of prostate cancer in a British city. A population-based study

Abstract

Screening by means of PSA testing remains uncommon in this area of the UK, in contrast to the situation in other countries. Most PSA tests performed in patients with prostate cancer were diagnostic rather than screening tests.

Routes to diagnosis for cancer – determining the patient journey using multiple routine data sets

“…They examined patient cohorts at a single secondary care unit or geographically clustered GP practices (Barrett and Hamilton, 2005, 2008; Blick et al , 2010), or review such studies (Thorne et al , 2009). Overall, previous studies show variation in route to diagnosis by cancer type, but also consistently show a large fraction of cases not following routine, urgent or TWW GP Referral routes.…”

Five misconceptions in cancer diagnosis

“…Most cancers in the UK present with symptoms, and most initial consultations for these symptoms are in primary care. 7,11,12 The management of such patients generally follows a schema as illustrated in Figure 1.…”

“…Other patients are so ill at their first presentation to medical care that they require emergency admission to hospital, for example with bowel obstruction, chest infection, or urinary retention. 7,11,12 In these patients, the underlying cancer diagnosis is made while in hospital. Even so, the majority of patients follow the route shown in Figure 1, and most investment in earlier diagnosis has concentrated on this pathway.…”

The association between symptoms and bladder or renal tract cancer in primary care: a systematic review

“…The main alternative route to diagnosis is by emergency presentation, with approximately one-quarter of renal or bladder cancers presenting this way. 2,3 Selection of patients for urological referral depends on the patient's symptoms, plus any abnormal examination findings.…”