What causes delays in diagnosing blood cancers? A rapid review of the evidence

Blood cancer is one of the highest causes of cancer death in Australia, and timely diagnoses is crucial. A new review in the Primary Health Care Research and Development journal explored factors contributing to late diagnoses. Of 15 studies included, the authors found that the complexity of symptoms of blood cancer did not raise alarm bells for patients or primary care professionals. For example, this included non-specific unwell feelings, linking relevant cancer symptoms to a past event or existing chronic illness, and perceiving that nothing was wrong. Blood cancer symptoms were also interpreted differentially based on age, such as being attributed to stress in younger patients or ageing in older patients. Primary care professionals’ judgement of cancer risk and interpretation of tests could also lead to delays in diagnoses. The authors found a lack of evidence around how to get past these barriers in the diagnostic pathway, which is an opportunity for further research into interventions that could improve the timeliness of blood cancer diagnoses in primary care.   Read the original article here.