Campbell, N.C., Macdonald, S. , Macleod, U., Mitchell, E.D. and Weller, D. (2006) Systematic review of factors influencing patient and practitioner delay in diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal cancer. British Journal of Cancer, 94(9), pp. 1272-1280. (doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603089)
|
Text
19186.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike. 122kB |
Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6603089
Abstract
As knowledge on the causation of cancers advances and new treatments are developed, early recognition and accurate diagnosis becomes increasingly important. This review focused on identifying factors influencing patient and primary care practitioner delay for upper gastrointestinal cancer. A systematic methodology was applied, including extensive searches of the literature published from 1970 to 2003, systematic data extraction, quality assessment and narrative data synthesis. Included studies were those evaluating factors associated with the time interval between a patient first noticing a cancer symptom and presenting to primary care, between a patient first presenting to primary care and being referred to secondary care, or describing an intervention designed to reduce those intervals. Twenty-five studies were included in the review. Studies reporting delay intervals demonstrated that the patient phase of delay was greater than the practitioner phase, whilst patient-related research suggests that recognition of symptom seriousness is more important than recognition of the presence of the symptom. The main factors related to practitioner delay were misdiagnosis, application and interpretation of tests, and the confounding effect of existing disease. Greater understanding of patient factors is required, along with evaluation of interventions to ensure appropriate diagnosis, examination and investigation.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | MacLeod, Dr Una and Mitchell, Dr Elizabeth and Macdonald, Professor Sara |
| Authors: | Campbell, N.C., Macdonald, S., Macleod, U., Mitchell, E.D., and Weller, D. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > General Practice and Primary Care College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences |
| Journal Name: | British Journal of Cancer |
| Publisher: | Nature Publishing Group |
| ISSN: | 0007-0920 |
| ISSN (Online): | 1532-1827 |
| Published Online: | 11 April 2006 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2006 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in British Journal of Cancer 94(1):1272-1280 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons License |
University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record
Funder and Project Information
Funder and Project Information