How GPs ‘miss cancer symptoms’ in a quarter of patients

NEARLY one in four cancer patients diagnosed as an emergency had previously seen their GP at least three times, shocking figures show.

Analysis of 4,637 people at A&E wards with 18 different types of the killer disease revealed 23 per cent had repeatedly seen their doctor before being admitted as an emergency in England.

Experts say those diagnosed as an emergency are more likely to have poorer outcomes as it means they usually have late-stage cancer.

The most comprehensive study to date found that 71 per cent of all patients diagnosed as an emergency had seen their GP at least once with symptoms that turned out to be cancer.

The remainder in the analysis of the 2010 figures had never visited their GP.

Of the group that did see their GP with symptoms, 41 per cent had sought help three or more times – while 59 per cent had seen their GP once or twice.

Some of these had difficult-tospot cancers, such as lung cancer or multiple myeloma and tended to be younger or female.

But the group also included people with common cancers such as breast cancer (31 per cent of breast cancer patients had visited their GP three or more times), bowel cancer (41 per cent had visited three or more times) and prostate cancer (37 per cent).

Samia al Qadhi, chief executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: “These are extremely concerning findings as the later breast cancer is diagnosed, the less effective treatment can be. We speak to women and men who tell us how incredibly distressing it is not to be taken seriously when they’ve found a possible symptom.

“We have found almost a third of people with incurable secondary breast cancer do not feel health care professionals listened to their concerns.”

Researchers from University College London, the University of Cambridge, the University of Exeter and Public Health England found men and the elderly were more likely to have had no prior visits to a surgery.

Professor Helen StokesLampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Early diagnosis of cancer leads to better health outcomes for our patients and we know those who visit their GP, in the majority of cases, will be diagnosed at a timely stage – 75 per cent of patients found to have cancer are referred after only one or two GP consultations.

“In the last five years the proportion of cancers diagnosed as an emergency has dropped from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.”

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, is published today in the British Journal Of General Practice.