GPs unlikely to pick up certain cancers right away because it’s not the most likely diagnosis

A new cross-sectional study has revealed that patients with multiple myeloma, pancreatic or brain cancers are more likely to have visited their GP at least three times before their referral for a suspected cancer. An important potential reason for this delay could be due the cancers rarity, making the patients’ symptoms more likely to be a more common, benign condition. The study also found that there was a delay in diagnostic testing for colon cancer with more than a third of patients waiting more than three months to first see a hospital specialist. The Conversation, 18/07/2016