Concerns raised about late diagnosis of lung cancer

Conclusion This study found people who die early after their lung cancer diagnosis (within three months) were less likely to have had a chest X-ray and tended to have more GP visits on average in the four months prior to their diagnosis than those who lived longer. The researchers suggest that this could indicate there are "missed opportunities to identify them earlier", and this is what the media has focused on.  While the study found an association with the number of GP visits, the difference is relatively small (one visit on average). There are many factors that could have accounted for the number of visits made to the GP, as well as other issues that were not assessed in this study. These include: whether the people in each group actually had (or reported to their GP) symptoms of lung cancer whether the lung cancer was the cause of death or the person died from other causes  whether there were any other (non-cancer) illnesses present that may have been the reason for the GP visits whether a patient preferred not to have investigations such as a chest X-ray The researchers also did not have information on the stage of people's lung cancer when they were diagnosed to confirm that these people were diagnosed late. Some of the other findings of the study – such as the fact that those dying early tended to be older, male smokers who lived rurally and in more socially deprived areas – have not been focused on by the media. These fin...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medical practice Source Type: news