The known Most patients diagnosed with cancer had initially consulted a general practitioner about their symptoms. Delayed diagnosis is associated with poorer patient experience and possibly worse clinical outcomes.The new The number of GP visits and the time from symptom onset to seeing a hospital specialist were strongly influenced by cancer type. For example, patients with pancreatic cancer or multiple myeloma were more likely to have visited a GP several times; breast cancer patients were least likely to have done so.The implications Strategies for reducing missed opportunities for diagnosing cancer earlier in general practice are needed.
Cancer is the leading cause of disease burden in Australia; 1 by 2020 about 150 000 new cases will be diagnosed each year.2 Most patients diagnosed with cancer had initially consulted a general practitioner about their symptoms; [3][4][5][6] GPs are therefore pivotal in the timely diagnosis of cancer. A systematic review found evidence that longer time to diagnosis is associated with poorer clinical outcomes.7 Delays before cancer diagnosis may be caused by various factors at the patient, general practice and health system levels.
8Patients place great value in having their cancer symptoms recognised early, a priority highlighted by a number of medico-legal claims against GPs about perceived delays.9,10 Multiple prediagnostic consultations with a GP are associated with a more negative patient experience of subsequent cancer-related care.
11The 2010 English Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) examined GP visits preceding a cancer diagnosis, and found large variations between cancer types.12 International research has found that patient characteristics associated with primary care delays include younger age, female sex, belonging to an ethnic minority, and living in a rural area. 5 However, there are few data about GP consultations and factors associated with the amount of time preceding a cancer diagnosis in Australia.Our primary aim was to therefore assess the socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with multiple GP visits by patients subsequently diagnosed with cancer in Victoria. Our secondary aim was to investigate factors associated with the length of the interval between patients first recognising a symptom and their seeing a hospital doctor.
MethodsStudy design and setting We undertook a cross-sectional survey in 2013 of patients treated for cancer in five of the member hospitals of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) that cover the inner city and western suburbs of Melbourne (Peter MacCallum Cancer, Melbourne Health, Royal Women's Hospital, St Vincent's Hospital and Western Health).
Data collectionThe study design was based on the English CPES.12,13 The CPES survey instrument was selected as it was cognitively validated and field-tested, and provided opportunities for international comparisons. The postal survey, provided in English, included 76 items, of which 65 assessed patient experience of diagnosis and subsequent care. Responses were ...