Emergency admissions of cancer as a marker of diagnostic delay

Unplanned cancer presentation in patients with psychiatric disorders: A nationwide register-based cohort study in Denmark

Unplanned presentation in the cancer pathway is more common in patients with psychiatric disorders than in patients without. More knowledge about the risk factors for unplanned presentation could help target interventions to ensure earlier diagnosis of cancer in patients with psychiatric disorders. This study aims to estimate the association between patient characteristics (social characteristics and coexisting physical morbidity) and cancer diagnosis following unplanned presentation among cancer patients with psychiatric disorders. We conducted a population-based register study including patients diagnosed with cancer in 2014-2018 and also registered with at least one psychiatric disorder in the included Danish registers (n = 26,005). We used logistic regression to assess patient characteristics associated with an unplanned presentation. Almost one in four symptomatic patients (23.6 %) with pre-existing psychiatric disorders presented unplanned in the cancer trajectory. Unplanned presentation was most common for severe psychiatric disorders, e.g. organic disorders and schizophrenia. Old age, male sex, living alone, low education, physical comorbidity, and non-attendance in primary care were associated with increased odds of unplanned presentation. In conclusion, several characteristics of patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders were associated with unplanned presentation in the cancer trajectory; for some groups more than 40 % had an unplanned presentation. This information could be used to design targeted interventions for patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders to ensure earlier diagnosis of cancer in this population.

Mediating Effects of Diagnostic Route on the Comorbidity Gap in Survival of Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell or Follicular Lymphoma in England

Background: Socioeconomic inequalities in survival from non-Hodgkin lymphoma persist. Comorbidities are more prevalent amongst those in more deprived areas and are associated with diagnostic delay (emergency diagnostic route), which is also associated with poorer survival probability. We aimed to describe the effect of comorbidity on the probability of death mediated by diagnostic route (emergency vs. elective route) amongst patients with diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma (FL). Methods: We linked the English population-based cancer registry and hospital admission records (2005-2013) of patients aged 45-99 years. We decomposed the effect of comorbidity on survival into an indirect effect acting through diagnostic route and a direct effect not mediated by diagnostic route. Furthermore, we estimated the proportion of the comorbidity effect on survival mediated by diagnostic route. Results: For both DLBCL (n = 27,379) and FL (n = 14,043), those with any comorbidity, or living in more deprived areas, were more likely to experience diagnostic delay and poorer survival. The indirect effect of comorbidity on mortality through diagnostic route was highest at 12 months since diagnosis (DLBCL: Odds Ratio 1.10 [95% CI 1.07-1.13], FL: OR 1.09 [95% CI 1.04-1.14]). Within the first 12 months since diagnosis, emergency diagnostic route accounted for 24% (95% CI 17.5-29.5) and 16% (95% CI 6.0-25.6) of the comorbidity effect on mortality, for DLBCL and FL, respectively. Conclusion: Efforts to reduce diagnostic delay (emergency diagnosis) amongst patients with comorbidity would reduce inequalities in DLBCL and FL survival by 24% and 16%, respectively. Further public health programs and interventions are needed to reduce diagnostic delay amongst lymphoma patients with comorbidities.

Investigating the inequalities in route to diagnosis amongst patients with diffuse large B-cell or follicular lymphoma in England

INTRODUCTION

Diagnostic delay is associated with lower chances of cancer survival. Underlying comorbidities are known to affect the timely diagnosis of cancer. Diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL) and follicular lymphomas (FL) are primarily diagnosed amongst older patients, who are more likely to have comorbidities. Characteristics of clinical commissioning groups (CCG) are also known to impact diagnostic delay. We assess the association between comorbidities and diagnostic delay amongst patients with DLBCL or FL in England during 2005-2013.

METHODS

Multivariable generalised linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the main association. Empirical Bayes estimates of the random effects were used to explore between-cluster variation. The latent normal joint modelling multiple imputation approach was used to account for partially observed variables.

RESULTS

We included 30,078 and 15,551 patients diagnosed with DLBCL or FL, respectively. Amongst patients from the same CCG, having multimorbidity was strongly associated with the emergency route to diagnosis (DLBCL: odds ratio 1.56, CI 1.40-1.73; FL: odds ratio 1.80, CI 1.45-2.23). Amongst DLBCL patients, the diagnostic delay was possibly correlated with CCGs that had higher population densities.

CONCLUSIONS

Underlying comorbidity is associated with diagnostic delay amongst patients with DLBCL or FL. Results suggest a possible correlation between CCGs with higher population densities and diagnostic delay of aggressive lymphomas.

What is the relevance of an ambulatory quick diagnosis unit or inpatient admission for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer? A retrospective study of 1004 patients

Quick diagnosis units (QDU) have become an alternative hospital-based ambulatory medicine strategy to inpatient hospitalization for potentially serious illnesses in Spain. Whether diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is better accomplished by an ambulatory or inpatient approach is unknown. The main objective of this retrospective study was to examine and compare the diagnostic effectiveness of a QDU or inpatient setting in patients with pancreatic cancer.Patients with a diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma who had been referred to a university, tertiary hospital-based QDU or hospitalized between 2005 and 2018 were eligible. Presenting symptoms and signs, risk and prognostic factors, and time to diagnosis were compared. The costs incurred during the diagnostic assessment were analyzed with a microcosting method.A total of 1004 patients (508 QDU patients and 496 inpatients) were eligible. Admitted patients were more likely than QDU patients to have weight loss, asthenia, anorexia, abdominal pain, jaundice, and palpable hepatomegaly. Time to diagnosis of inpatients was similar to that of QDU patients (4.1 [0.8 vs 4.3 [0.6] days; P = .163). Inpatients were more likely than QDU patients to have a tumor on the head of the pancreas, a tumor size >2 cm, a more advanced nodal stage, and a poorer histological differentiation. No differences were observed in the proportion of metastatic and locally advanced disease and surgical resections. Microcosting revealed a cost of &OV0556;347.76 (48.69) per QDU patient and &OV0556;634.36 (80.56) per inpatient (P < .001).Diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is similarly achieved by an inpatient or QDU clinical approach, but the latter seems to be cost-effective. Because the high costs of hospitalization, an ambulatory diagnostic assessment may be preferable in these patients.

Colorectal cancer patients under the age of 50 experience delays in primary care leading to emergency diagnoses: a population-based study

AIM

The incidence of colorectal cancer in the under 50s is increasing. In this national population-based study we aim to show that missed opportunities for diagnosis in primary care are leading to referral delays and emergency diagnoses in young patients.

METHOD

We compared the interval before diagnosis, presenting symptom(s) and the odds ratio (OR) of an emergency diagnosis for those under the age of 50 with older patients sourced from the cancer registry with linkage to a national database of primary-care records.

RESULTS

The study included 7315 patients, of whom 508 (6.9%) were aged under 50 years, 1168 (16.0%) were aged 50-59, 2294 (31.4%) were aged 60-69 and 3345 (45.7%) were aged 70-79 years. Young patients were more likely to present with abdominal pain and via an emergency, and had the lowest percentage of early stage cancer. They experienced a longer interval between referral and diagnosis (12.5 days) than those aged 60-69, reflecting the higher proportion of referrals via the nonurgent pathway (33.3%). The OR of an emergency diagnosis did not differ with age if a red-flag symptom was noted at presentation, but increased significantly for young patients if the symptom was nonspecific.

CONCLUSION

Young patients present to primary care with symptoms outside the national referral guidelines, increasing the likelihood of an emergency diagnosis.

Referrals for head and neck cancer in England and The Netherlands: an international qualitative study of the views of secondary-care surgical specialists

One-year survival after head and neck cancer in England has been reported to be worse than that in Europe, despite five-year conditional survival being similar, which implies that patients present later in England. One country with better rates is The Netherlands. There are many possible causes, one of which may be the system of referral from primary to secondary care. We have compared the views of secondary care specialists in the two countries about their systems for referral, and identified aspects that might have an impact on outcomes. We organised semistructured qualitative interviews of surgical specialists in head and neck cancer in England and The Netherlands (n=12 in each). The most common theme was communication between primary care and specialists. Surgeons in England identified this as the aspect most lacking under the English "two-week" rule, while Dutch specialists felt that the good communication in their system was one of its best points. Other themes included the educational needs of primary care practitioners, criticism of "tick box" referrals in England, and too many patients referred who do not have cancer. Overall, specialists in both countries identified good aspects of their respective referral systems, but those in England felt strongly that the "two-week" rule/NICE guidance system could be improved with better direct communication between primary and secondary care, which might improve the speed and quality of referrals, reduce unnecessary ones, and assist in educating primary care physicians. It is not clear whether such improvements would improve survival, but further research and piloting of such a system should be considered in England.

Emergency presentation of colorectal patients in Spain

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Europe. Survival is poorer in patients admitted to hospitals through the emergency department than in electively admitted patients. Knowledge of factors associated with a cancer diagnosis through presentation at an emergency department may reduce the likelihood of an emergency diagnosis. This study evaluated factors influencing the diagnosis of CRC in the emergency department.

Methods and findings

This is a cross-sectional study in 5 Spanish regions; subjects were incident cases of CRC diagnosed in 9 public hospitals, between 2006 and 2008. Data were obtained from patient interviews and primary care and hospital clinical records. We found that approximately 40% of CRC patients first contacted a hospital for CRC through an emergency service. Women were more likely than men to be emergency presenters. The type of symptom associated with emergency presentation differed between patients with colon cancer and those with rectal cancer, in that the frequency of “alarm symptoms” was significantly lower in colon than in rectal cancer patients who initially presented to emergency services. Soon after symptom onset, some patients went to a hospital emergency service, whereas others contacted their GP. Lack of contact with a GP for CRC-related symptoms was consistently related to emergency presentation. Among patients who contacted a GP, a higher number of consultations for CRC symptoms and any referral to outpatient consultations reduced the likelihood of emergency presentation. All diagnostic time intervals were shorter in emergency presenters than in elective patients.

Conclusions

Emergency presenters are not a uniform category and can be divided into categories according to their symptoms, help seeking behavior trajectory and interaction with their GPs. Time constraints for testing and delays in obtaining outpatient appointments led patients to visit a hospital service either on their own or after referral by their GP.

Health care use before a diagnosis of primary intracranial tumor: a Danish nationwide register study

Introduction

Detailed knowledge of prediagnostic health care use among patients with primary intracranial tumors is sparse. We aimed to investigate the health care use among adults during the 2 years preceding a diagnosis of a benign or malignant primary intracranial tumor in Denmark.

Methods

We conducted a population-based matched cohort study using historical data from Danish nationwide registries, including all patients aged 30–90 years diagnosed with a first-time primary intracranial tumor from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2014, and with no prior cancer diagnosis (n=5,926). For each patient, ten comparison subjects were identified using density sampling. We analyzed differences in the frequency and timing of health care use within general practice, physiotherapy, radiology, ear –nose –throat, ophthalmology, neurology, and psychiatry. Odds ratios of having multiple contacts were calculated using a conditional logistical regression model. Monthly incidence rate ratios were estimated using a negative binomial regression model.

Results

Of all patients, 62% had a benign tumor. Patients with benign tumors were more likely to have multiple consultations with health care providers in the period 2–12 months prior to diagnosis and to have increased rates of consultations 1–24 months prior to diagnosis, depending on health service.

Conclusion

Patients diagnosed with a benign or a malignant primary intracranial tumor use the health care services differently. Increased health care use is seen within relatively close proximity to the diagnosis for patients with malignant tumors. However, patients with benign tumors have increased health care use from up to 2 years prior to diagnosis; this suggests a window of opportunity for earlier diagnosis.

Emergency diagnosis of cancer and previous general practice consultations: insights from linked patient survey data

BACKGROUND

Emergency diagnosis of cancer is common and aetiologically complex. The proportion of emergency presenters who have consulted previously with relevant symptoms is uncertain.

AIM

To examine how many patients with cancer, who were diagnosed as emergencies, have had previous primary care consultations with relevant symptoms; and among those, to examine how many had multiple consultations.

DESIGN AND SETTING

Secondary analysis of patient survey data from the 2010 English Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES), previously linked to population-based data on diagnostic route.

METHOD

For emergency presenters with 18 different cancers, associations were examined for two outcomes (prior GP consultation status; and 'three or more consultations' among prior consultees) using logistic regression.

RESULTS

Among 4647 emergency presenters, 1349 (29%) reported no prior consultations, being more common in males (32% versus 25% in females, P<0.001), older (44% in ≥85 versus 30% in 65-74-year-olds, P<0.001), and the most deprived (35% versus 25% least deprived, P = 0.001) patients; and highest/lowest for patients with brain cancer (46%) and mesothelioma (13%), respectively (P<0.001 for overall variation by cancer site). Among 3298 emergency presenters with prior consultations, 1356 (41%) had three or more consultations, which were more likely in females (P<0.001), younger (P<0.001), and non-white patients (P = 0.017) and those with multiple myeloma, and least likely for patients with leukaemia (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Contrary to suggestions that emergency presentations represent missed diagnoses, about one-third of emergency presenters (particularly those in older and more deprived groups) have no prior GP consultations. Furthermore, only about one-third report multiple (three or more) consultations, which are more likely in 'harder-to-suspect' groups.

Emergency admission and survival from aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A report from the UK's population-based Haematological Malignancy Research Network

Background

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is often diagnosed after emergency presentation, a route associated with poor survival and an indicator of diagnostic delay. Accounting for around half of all NHLs, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is of particular interest since although it is potentially curable with standardised chemotherapy it can be challenging to identify at an early stage in the primary care setting.

Patients and methods

Set within a socio-demographically representative United Kingdom population of around 4 million people, data are from an established patient cohort. This report includes all patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with DLBCL 2004–2011 (n = 1660). Emergency admissions were identified via linkage to Hospital Episode Statistics using standard methods, and survival was examined using proportional hazards regression.

Results

Two out of every five patients were diagnosed following an emergency admission, and this was associated with advanced disease and poor survival (p < 0.001). Among the 80% of patients treated with curative chemotherapy, survival discrepancies emerged at the point of diagnosis; the adjusted hazard ratio (emergency versus non-emergency) at one month being 4.0 (95% confidence interval 1.9–8.2). No lasting impact was evident in patients who survived for 12 months or more.

Conclusion

Emergency presentation impacts negatively on DLBCL survival; patients presenting via this route have significantly poorer outcomes than patients with similar clinical characteristics who present via other routes.

•

Emergency presentation has a marked impact on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) survival, not explained by disease stage or treatment.

•

Emergency presentation among patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is 50% higher in the United Kingdom than national data on non-Hodgkin lymphomas suggest.

•

Survival benefits from earlier diagnosis of potentially curable NHLs could exceed that of new treatments.

Diagnosis of cancer as an emergency: a critical review of current evidence

Many patients with cancer are diagnosed through an emergency presentation, which is associated with inferior clinical and patient-reported outcomes compared with those of patients who are diagnosed electively or through screening. Reducing the proportion of patients with cancer who are diagnosed as emergencies is, therefore, desirable; however, the optimal means of achieving this aim are uncertain owing to the involvement of different tumour, patient and health-care factors, often in combination. Most relevant evidence relates to patients with colorectal or lung cancer in a few economically developed countries, and defines emergency presentations contextually (that is, whether patients presented to emergency health-care services and/or received emergency treatment shortly before their diagnosis) as opposed to clinically (whether patients presented with life-threatening manifestations of their cancer). Consistent inequalities in the risk of emergency presentations by patient characteristics and cancer type have been described, but limited evidence is available on whether, and how, such presentations can be prevented. Evidence on patients' symptoms and health-care use before presentation as an emergency is sparse. In this Review, we describe the extent, causes and implications of a diagnosis of cancer following an emergency presentation, and provide recommendations for public health and health-care interventions, and research efforts aimed at addressing this under-researched aspect of cancer diagnosis.

Type D Personality in Gastric Cancer Survivors: Association With Poor Quality of Life, Overall Survival, and Mental Health

CONTEXT

The associations between Type D personality and poor quality of life, overall survival, and mental health in gastric cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this research was to explore quality of life (QoL), mental health status, Type D personality, symptom duration, and emergency admissions of Chinese gastric cancer patients, as well as the relationship between these factors.

METHODS

Eight hundred thirty eligible Chinese patients newly diagnosed with gastric cancer between July 2009 and July 2011 were enrolled in this prospective study. Type D personality was measured with the 14-item Type D Personality Scale (DS14). Mental health status was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The QoL outcomes were assessed longitudinally using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 and Quality of Life Questionnaire-STO22 at baseline and six months after diagnosis.

RESULTS

The proportion of patients with symptom duration of more than one month and who were diagnosed after emergency admissions in the Type D group was significantly higher than that in the non-Type D personality group. At both of the time points, Type D patients reported statistically significant lower scores on role, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning (all Ps < 0.001) functional scales, global health status/QoL scales (P < 0.001), and worse symptom scores compared to patients without a Type D personality. During the six-month time frame, a higher percentage of patients in the Type D group demonstrated a considerable QoL deterioration. Clinically elevated levels of anxiety and depression were more prevalent in Type D than in non-Type D survivors (both Ps < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in three-year overall survival between the patients in the Type D group and the non-Type D personality group.

CONCLUSION

Type D personality is associated with poor QoL, three-year overall survival and mental health status among survivors of gastric cancer, even after adjustment of confounding background variables. The Type D personality group experienced increased levels of pain and fatigue compared to non-Type D patients. Type D personality might be a general vulnerability factor to screen for subgroups at risk of longer symptom duration and emergency admissions in clinical practice.

Causes and outcomes of emergency presentation of rectal cancer

Emergency presentation of rectal cancer carries a relatively poor prognosis, but the roles and interactions of causative factors remain unclear. We describe an innovative statistical approach which distinguishes between direct and indirect effects of a number of contextual, patient and tumour factors on emergency presentation and outcome of rectal cancer. All patients diagnosed with rectal cancer in Ireland 2004-2008 were included. Registry information, linked to hospital discharge data, provided data on patient demographics, comorbidity and health insurance; population density and deprivation of area of residence; tumour type, site, grade and stage; treatment type and optimality; and emergency presentation and hospital caseload. Data were modelled using a structural equation model with a discrete-time survival outcome, allowing us to estimate direct and mediated effects of the above factors on hazard, and their inter-relationships. Two thousand seven hundred and fifty patients were included in the analysis. Around 12% had emergency presentations, which increased hazard by 80%. Affluence, private patient status and being married reduced hazard indirectly by reducing emergency presentation. Older patients had more emergency presentations, while married patients, private patients or those living in less deprived areas had fewer than expected. Patients presenting as an emergency were less likely to receive optimal treatment or to have this in a high caseload hospital. Apart from stage, emergency admission was the strongest determinant of poor survival. The factors contributing to emergency admission in this study are similar to those associated with diagnostic delay. The socio-economic gradient found suggests that patient education and earlier access to endoscopic investigation for public patients could reduce emergency presentation.

Emergency presentations of head and neck cancer: a modern perspective

Background:

Head and neck cancer emergency presentations are uncommon but persistent. However, there is little published literature on this aspect of cancer and patient demographics. This study aimed to assess the incidence, patient profile, tumour site and stage of emergency cancer presentations in our region.

Method:

Retrospective review of regional cancer database over a five-year period.

Results:

Emergency presentations accounted for 7 per cent of all cases. There was no difference in patient age and risk factors between the emergency and non-emergency presentations. The emergency presentation group showed a greater proportion of female patients compared to the non-emergency presentation group (30 vs 15 per cent). In all emergency presentations, the cancer was at advanced stages. Oropharyngeal cancer was the commonest emergency presentation of cancer, but the third commonest in the non-emergency group.

Conclusion:

Emergency presentations are increasing annually. Female patients and oropharyngeal cancer showed greater representation compared to male patients and laryngeal cancer.

Use of the English urgent referral pathway for suspected cancer and mortality in patients with cancer: cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the overall effect of the English urgent referral pathway on cancer survival.

SETTING

8049 general practices in England.

DESIGN

Cohort study. Linked information from the national Cancer Waiting Times database, NHS Exeter database, and National Cancer Register was used to estimate mortality in patients in relation to the propensity of their general practice to use the urgent referral pathway.

PARTICIPANTS

215,284 patients with cancer, diagnosed or first treated in England in 2009 and followed up to 2013.

OUTCOME MEASURE

Hazard ratios for death from any cause, as estimated from a Cox proportional hazards regression.

RESULTS

During four years of follow-up, 91,620 deaths occurred, of which 51,606 (56%) occurred within the first year after diagnosis. Two measures of the propensity to use urgent referral, the standardised referral ratio and the detection rate, were associated with reduced mortality. The hazard ratio for the combination of high referral ratio and high detection rate was 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.94 to 0.99), applying to 16% (n=34,758) of the study population. Patients with cancer who were registered with general practices with the lowest use of urgent referral had an excess mortality (hazard ratio 1.07 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.08); 37% (n=79,416) of the study population). The comparator group for these two hazard ratios was the remaining 47% (n=101,110) of the study population. This result in mortality was consistent for different types of cancer (apart from breast cancer) and with other stratifications of the dataset, and was not sensitive to adjustment for potential confounders and other details of the statistical model.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the urgent referral pathway could be efficacious. General practices that consistently have a low propensity to use urgent referrals could consider increasing the use of this pathway to improve the survival of their patients with cancer.

Patients' Experiences of Cancer Diagnosis as a Result of an Emergency Presentation: A Qualitative Study

Introduction

Cancers diagnosed following visits to emergency departments (ED) or emergency admissions (emergency presentations) are associated with poor survival and may result from preventable diagnostic delay. To improve outcomes for these patients, a better understanding is needed about how emergency presentations arise. This study sought to capture patients' experiences of this diagnostic pathway in the English NHS.

Methods

Eligible patients were identified in a service evaluation of emergency presentations and invited to participate. Interviews, using an open-ended biographical structure, captured participants' experiences of healthcare services before diagnosis and were analysed thematically, informed by the Walter model of Pathways to Treatment and NICE guidance in an iterative process.

Results

Twenty-seven interviews were conducted. Three typologies were identified: A: Rapid investigation and diagnosis, and B: Repeated cycles of healthcare seeking and appraisal without resolution, with two variants where B1 appears consistent with guidance and B2 has evidence that management was not consistent with guidance. Most patients’ (23/27) experiences fitted types B1 and B2. Potentially avoidable breakdowns in diagnostic pathways caused delays when patients were conflicted by escalating symptoms and a benign diagnosis given earlier by doctors. ED was sometimes used as a conduit to rapid testing by primary care clinicians, although this pathway was not always successful.

Conclusions

This study draws on patients' experiences of their diagnosis to provide novel insights into how emergency presentations arise. Through these typologies, we show that the typical experience of patients diagnosed through an emergency presentation diverges significantly from normative pathways even when there is no evidence of serious service failures. Consultations were not a conduit to diagnosis when they inhibited patients’ capacity to appraise their own symptoms appropriately and when they resulted in a reluctance to seek further healthcare.

Recommendations

The findings also point to potentially avoidable breakdowns in the diagnostic process. In particular, to encourage patients to return to the GP if symptoms escalate, a stronger emphasis is needed on diagnostic uncertainty in discussions between patients and doctors in both primary and secondary care. To improve appropriate access to rapid investigations, systems are needed for primary care to communicate directly with secondary care at the time of referral.

Cancer-specific variation in emergency presentation by sex, age and deprivation across 27 common and rarer cancers

BACKGROUND

Although overall sociodemographic and cancer site variation in the risk of cancer diagnosis through emergency presentation has been previously described, relatively little is known about how this risk may vary differentially by sex, age and deprivation group between patients with a given cancer.

METHODS

Data from the Routes to Diagnosis project on 749,645 patients (2006-2010) with any of 27 cancers that can occur in either sex were analysed. Crude proportions and crude and adjusted odds ratios were calculated for emergency presentation, and interactions between sex, age and deprivation with cancer were examined.

RESULTS

The overall proportion of patients diagnosed through emergency presentation varied greatly by cancer. Compared with men, women were at greater risk for emergency presentation for bladder, brain, rectal, liver, stomach, colon and lung cancer (e.g., bladder cancer-specific odds ratio for women vs men, 1.50; 95% CI 1.39-1.60), whereas the opposite was true for oral/oropharyngeal cancer, lymphomas and melanoma (e.g., oropharyngeal cancer-specific odds ratio for women vs men, 0.49; 95% CI 0.32-0.73). Similarly, younger patients were at higher risk for emergency presentation for acute leukaemia, colon, stomach and oesophageal cancer (e.g., colon cancer-specific odds ratio in 35-44- vs 65-74-year-olds, 2.01; 95% CI 1.76-2.30) and older patients for laryngeal, melanoma, thyroid, oral and Hodgkin's lymphoma (e.g., melanoma specific odds ratio in 35-44- vs 65-74-year-olds, 0.20; 95% CI 0.12-0.33). Inequalities in the risk of emergency presentation by deprivation group were greatest for oral/oropharyngeal, anal, laryngeal and small intestine cancers.

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients with the same cancer, the risk for emergency presentation varies notably by sex, age and deprivation group. The findings suggest that, beyond tumour biology, diagnosis through an emergency route may be associated both with psychosocial processes, which can delay seeking of medical help, and with difficulties in suspecting the diagnosis of cancer after presentation.

Missed opportunities: racial and neighborhood socioeconomic disparities in emergency colorectal cancer diagnosis and surgery

BACKGROUND

Disparities by race and neighborhood socioeconomic status exist for many colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes, including screening use and mortality. We used population-based data to determine if disparities also exist for emergency CRC diagnosis and surgery.

METHODS

We examined two emergency CRC outcomes using 1992-2005 population-based U.S. SEER-Medicare data. Among CRC patients aged ≥66 years, we examined racial (African American vs. white) and neighborhood poverty disparities in two emergency outcomes defined as: 1) newly diagnosed CRC or 2) CRC surgery associated with: obstruction, perforation, or emergency inpatient admission. Multilevel logistic regression (patients nested in census tracts) analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, tumor, and clinical covariates.

RESULTS

Of 83,330 CRC patients, 29.1% were diagnosed emergently. Of 55,046 undergoing surgery, 26.0% had emergency surgery. For both outcomes, race and neighborhood poverty disparities were evident. A significant race by poverty interaction (p < .001) was noted: poverty rate was associated with both outcomes among African Americans, but not whites. Compared to whites in low poverty (<10%) neighborhoods, African Americans in high poverty (≥20%) neighborhoods had increased odds of emergency diagnosis (AOR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.38-1.63) and surgery (AOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.47-1.81).

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency CRC outcomes are associated with high poverty residence among African Americans in this population-based study, potentially contributing to observed disparities in CRC morbidity and mortality. Targeted efforts to increase CRC screening among African Americans living in high poverty neighborhoods could reduce preventable disparities.

Comparing primary and secondary health-care use between diagnostic routes before a colorectal cancer diagnosis: cohort study using linked data

Background:

Survival in cancer patients diagnosed following emergency presentations is poorer than those diagnosed through other routes. To identify points for intervention to improve survival, a better understanding of patients' primary and secondary health-care use before diagnosis is needed. Our aim was to compare colorectal cancer patients' health-care use by diagnostic route.

Methods:

Cohort study of colorectal cancers using linked primary and secondary care and cancer registry data (2009–2011) from four London boroughs. The prevalence of all and relevant GP consultations and rates of primary and secondary care use up to 21 months before diagnosis were compared across diagnostic routes (emergency, GP-referred and consultant/other).

Results:

The data set comprised 943 colorectal cancers with 24% diagnosed through emergency routes. Most (84%) emergency patients saw their GP 6 months before diagnosis but their symptom profile was distinct; fewer had symptoms meeting urgent referral criteria than GP-referred patients. Compared with GP-referred, emergency patients used primary care less (IRR: 0.85 (95% CI 0.78–0.93)) and urgent care more frequently (IRR: 1.56 (95% CI 1.12; 2.17)).

Conclusions:

Distinct patterns of health-care use in patients diagnosed through emergency routes were identified in this cohort. Such analyses using linked data can inform strategies for improving early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Emergency presentation of cancer and short-term mortality

Background:

The short-term survival following a cancer diagnosis in England is lower than that in comparable countries, with the difference in excess mortality primarily occurring in the months immediately after diagnosis. We assess the impact of emergency presentation (EP) on the excess mortality in England over the course of the year following diagnosis.

Methods:

All colorectal and cervical cancers presenting in England and all breast, lung, and prostate cancers in the East of England in 2006–2008 are included. The variation in the likelihood of EP with age, stage, sex, co-morbidity, and income deprivation is modelled. The excess mortality over 0–1, 1–3, 3–6, and 6–12 months after diagnosis and its dependence on these case-mix factors and presentation route is then examined.

Results:

More advanced stage and older age are predictive of EP, as to a lesser extent are co-morbidity, higher income deprivation, and female sex. In the first month after diagnosis, we observe case-mix-adjusted excess mortality rate ratios of 7.5 (cervical), 5.9 (colorectal), 11.7 (breast ), 4.0 (lung), and 20.8 (prostate) for EP compared with non-EP.

Conclusion:

Individuals who present as an emergency experience high short-term mortality in all cancer types examined compared with non-EPs. This is partly a case-mix effect but EP remains predictive of short-term mortality even when age, stage, and co-morbidity are accounted for.

Cancer diagnosed by emergency admission in England: an observational study using the general practice research database

Background

Patients diagnosed with cancer by the emergency route often have more advanced diseases and poorer outcomes. Rates of cancer diagnosed through unplanned admissions vary within and between countries, suggesting potential inconsistencies in the quality of care. To reduce diagnoses by this route and improve patient outcomes, high risk patient groups must be identified. This cross-sectional observational study determined the incidence of first-ever diagnoses of cancer by emergency (unplanned) admission and identified patient-level risk factors for these diagnoses in England.

Methods

Data for 74,763 randomly selected patients at 457 general practices between 1999 and 2008 were obtained from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), including integrated Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data and Office for National Statistics (ONS) mortality data. The proportion of first-ever diagnoses by emergency admission out of all recorded first cancer diagnoses by any route was analysed by patient characteristics.

Results

Diagnosis by emergency admission was recorded in 13.9% of patients diagnosed with cancer for the first time (n = 817/5870). The incidence of first cases by the emergency route was 2.51 patients per 10,000 person years. In adjusted regression analyses, patients of older age (p < 0.0001), living in the most deprived areas (RR 1.93, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.47; p < 0.0001) or who had a total Charlson score of 1 compared to 0 (RR 1.34, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.69; p = 0.014) were most at risk of diagnosis by emergency admission. Patients with more prior (all-cause) emergency admissions were less at risk of subsequent diagnosis by the emergency route (RR 0.31 per prior emergency admission, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.46; p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

A much lower incidence of first-ever cancer diagnoses by emergency admission was found compared with previous studies. Identified high risk groups may benefit from interventions to reduce delayed diagnosis. Further studies should include screening and cancer staging data to improve understanding of delayed or untimely diagnosis and patient care pathways.

Impact of route to diagnosis on treatment intent and 1-year survival in patients diagnosed with oesophagogastric cancer in England: a prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between the route to diagnosis, patient characteristics, treatment intent and 1 -year survival among patients with oesophagogastric (O-G) cancer.

SETTING

Cohort study in 142 English NHS trusts and 30 cancer networks.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients diagnosed with O-G cancer between October 2007 and June 2009.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study. Route to diagnosis defined as general practitioner (GP) referral-urgent (suspected cancer) or non-urgent, hospital consultant referral, or after an emergency admission. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations and adjust for differences in casemix.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Proportion of patients diagnosed by route of diagnosis; proportion of patients selected for curative treatment; 1-year survival.

RESULTS

Among 14 102 cancer patients, 66.3% were diagnosed after a GP referral, 16.4% after an emergency admission and 17.4% after a hospital consultant referral. Of the 9351 GP referrals, 68.8% were urgent. Compared to urgent GP referrals, a markedly lower proportion of patients diagnosed after emergency admission had a curative treatment plan (36% vs 16%; adjusted OR=0.62, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.74) and a lower proportion survived 1 year (43% vs 27%; OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.89). Urgency of GP referral did not affect treatment intent or survival. Routes to diagnosis varied across cancer networks, with the adjusted proportion of patients diagnosed after emergency admission ranging from 8.7 to 32.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

Outcomes for cancer patients are worse if diagnosed after emergency admission. Primary care and hospital services should work together to reduce rates of diagnosis after emergency admission and the variation across cancer networks.