80% of suspected cancers referred by GPs, study shows

Over 80 per cent of patients with suspected cancer are being referred to their GP in the first two consultations.

This is according to research published in the British Journal of Cancer, which also found that more than half of those sent saw a specialist at the first appointment.

In the study, researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Durham and Bangor analysed data from more than 13,000 patients in a bid to measure the promptness of cancer diagnoses in primary care, finding that 82 per cent of people were referred following two visits.

As well as this, over half of patients were referred to a specialist after the first visit.

The study also found that some cancers are becoming harder to spot in the first few consultations, including lung cancer and myeloma.

One possible reason for this is that they product symptoms that are common and not unique to cancer, meaning they can be mistaken for less serious conditions.

Findings suggest that, the more consultations required by a patient, the greater number of weeks there are between first presentation and referral.

With most of the patients who have these type of cancers, it can take longer before there is a suspicion of cancer cells and they can be seen by hospital specialists.

Dr Georgios Lyratzopoulos, study author and National Institute for Health Research post-doctoral research fellow working at the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research, said the results show the progress researchers are making in spotting cancer early.

"We now understand the typical symptoms of some cancers, like breast and melanoma, very well and that helps doctors to spot them quickly.

"Other cancers have less typical symptoms, making them more difficult to recognise straight away. Not suspecting cancer early enough can be stressful for patients and their relatives so understanding the symptoms of these cancers better is where we need to be making greater research efforts to help spot the disease earlier," he added.