Always seeing the same GP raises risk of missed cancer

PATIENTS who always see the same GP are more likely to have cancer symptoms missed, research has shown.

A study found that if doctors know patients well, they could mistake warning signs for ongoing medical problems or depression.

The study of 18,500 patients found that people with bowel cancer who saw their normal GP were diagnosed, on average, a week later than others.

The findings are worrying because Britain has one of the lowest cancer survival rates in Europe, and this has partly been blamed on family doctors missing symptoms.

Even delays of a few weeks can be vital because the cancer can quickly spread to other organs and become very difficult to treat. The study by academics at the University of Bristol and Cancer Research UK compared the records of patients diagnosed with breast, lung and bowel cancer between 2000 and 2009.

The findings, published in the British Journal of General Practice, show that seeing the same GP was not linked to a later diagnosis for breast cancer or lung cancer. But for bowel cancer – commonly confused with irritable bowel syndrome or piles – there was an average delay of a week.

Researchers said the reason there was no link between breast cancer might be because the symptoms are more obvious. And lung cancer is notoriously difficult to detect because there are often no symptoms in the early stages. But according to the study, doctors who are ‘familiar’ with patients can ‘ misattribute’ new symptoms to ongoing medical complaints or even depression.

GP and lead researcher Dr Matthew Ridd said: ‘GPs should follow up patients who present with potential cancer symptoms to make sure they receive a timely diagnosis.

‘But your regular doctor might not be the best person to spot those symptoms in the first place. So in some cases getting a second opinion from a different doctor could speed up the time to diagnosis.’

Figures last month showed that cancer survival rates in Britain lagged ten years behind those of many other European countries. And last summer Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt pledged to name and shame GPs who fail to pick up on early warning signs and refer patients for urgent tests.

Dr Richard Roope, Cancer Research UK’s GP expert, said: ‘These intriguing findings suggest that in some cases a fresh pair of eyes could be better at spotting early signs of cancer. Anything that can be done to support GPs in diagnosing cancer earlier is worth pursuing.’

And Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK’s director of early diagnosis, said: ‘This study provides a useful insight into how seeing the same doctor could impact the time to cancer diagnosis. Any delay in getting cancer diagnosed has the potential to impact the success of treatment, so it’s vital we do everything possible to help GPs refer patients with potential cancer symptoms without delay.’

‘A fresh pair of eyes could be better’