An article published on July 31 2015 in The Daily Telegraph discusses the vital need for early diagnosis to improve chances of survival. At present, the FOB test, which has become known as the FIT test, is the only diagnostic tool being used in general for patients over the age of 60.
This test must be taken if you receive one in the post. Cases of bowel cancer are detected using this method and it is all that we have at the the present time. I can only encourage you to do the test if one turns up on your doormat! Like many other diagnostic measures, it is not 100% failsafe.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH FRIDAY JULY 31 2015
CANCER PATIENTS ONLY SENT FOR TESTS AFTER THREE VISITS TO DOCTOR
Cancer patients are losing faith in the NHS because they are forced to visit their GP at least three times before they are referred for diagnostic tests, new research has shown.
Scientists from University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge working for Cancer Research UK said a quarter of cancer patients were dissatisfied with their care and were losing confidence in doctors and nurses who go on to treat them.
Researchers studied data from 70,000 patients and found that, of the 60,000 people who were diagnosed by their GP, nearly 13,300 had been seen three or more times before they were referred for cancer tests.
Those whose diagnosis had taken the longest were more likely to be unhappy with later aspects of their care. Nearly one in five was dissatisfied with how they were informed that they had cancer. Almost half were also unhappy with the communication between hospital staff and their GP.
More than one in 10 felt that information had been deliberately withheld from them during their treatment, and 32 per cent said they lacked confidence and trust in ward nurses.
“This research shows that first impressions go a long way in determining how cancer patients view their experience of cancer treatment”, said Dr. Georgios Lyratzopoulos, the study author, from UCL. “A negative experience of diagnosis can trigger loss of confidence in their care throughout the cancer journey. When they occur, diagnostic delays are largely due to cancer symptoms being extremely hard to distinguish from other diseases, combined with a lack of accurate and easy-to-use tests. New diagnostic tools to help doctors decide which patients need referring are vital to improve the care experience for even more cancer patients.”
Last month the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it would for the first time issue family doctors with a checklist of symptoms to help them spot cancer, in an attempt to prevent needless deaths.
Doctors have been told they must fast-track patients with symptoms including tiredness or unexplained bruising for urgent tests within 48 hours. Nice said too many GPs were “guessing” whether symptoms could mean cancer, with late diagnosis responsible for the deaths of up to 10,000 people each year.
Britain is eighth from bottom in league tables comparing cancer survival in 35 Western nations, latest research shows, on a par with Poland and Estonia. Almost half of cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment is less likely to work.
The Trevor Collins Foundation Bowel Cancer Screening Research Project is working to provide GP’s and Hospitals with an additional diagnostic procedure in order to improve the rates of early diagnosis. Our total funding requirement is £200,000. The project launched in April 2014 to run for a period of three years at Queen Mary University of London Centre for Cancer Prevention. We have funded £100,000 but we still need the remaining 50%.
Anything you can do to help us raise the balance of our funding commitment will be greatly appreciated. Do a walk, a run, a sponsored slim or have a BBQ supper with your friends, an afternoon tea, coffee morning – the possibilities are endless. Or simply make a donation either through our website or send a cheque or by contacting me for our bank details.
Brenda Collins