1
|
Tan SH, Guan CA, Bujang MA, Lai WH, Voon PJ, Sim EUH. Identification of phenomic data in the pathogenesis of cancers of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the UK biobank. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1997. [PMID: 38263244 PMCID: PMC10805853 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52421-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers account for a significant incidence and mortality rates of cancers globally. Utilization of a phenomic data approach allows researchers to reveal the mechanisms and molecular pathogenesis of these conditions. We aimed to investigate the association between the phenomic features and GI cancers in a large cohort study. We included 502,369 subjects aged 37-73 years in the UK Biobank recruited since 2006, followed until the date of the first cancer diagnosis, date of death, or the end of follow-up on December 31st, 2016, whichever occurred first. Socio-demographic factors, blood chemistry, anthropometric measurements and lifestyle factors of participants collected at baseline assessment were analysed. Unvariable and multivariable logistic regression were conducted to determine the significant risk factors for the outcomes of interest, based on the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The analysis included a total of 441,141 participants, of which 7952 (1.8%) were incident GI cancer cases and 433,189 were healthy controls. A marker, cystatin C was associated with total and each gastrointestinal cancer (adjusted OR 2.43; 95% CI 2.23-2.64). In this cohort, compared to Asians, the Whites appeared to have a higher risk of developing gastrointestinal cancers. Several other factors were associated with distinct GI cancers. Cystatin C and race appear to be important features in GI cancers, suggesting some overlap in the molecular pathogenesis of GI cancers. Given the small proportion of Asians within the UK Biobank, the association between race and GI cancers requires further confirmation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Hui Tan
- Clinical Research Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Hospital, 93586, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
- Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia.
| | - Catherina Anak Guan
- Clinical Research Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Hospital, 93586, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Mohamad Adam Bujang
- Clinical Research Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Hospital, 93586, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Wei Hong Lai
- Clinical Research Centre, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Hospital, 93586, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Pei Jye Voon
- Department of Radiotherapy, Oncology and Palliative Care, Sarawak General Hospital, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Jalan Hospital, 93586, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Edmund Ui Hang Sim
- Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300, Kota Samarahan, Malaysia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Funston G, Moullet M, Mounce L, Lyratzopoulos G, Walter FM, Zhou Y. Pre-diagnostic prescription patterns in bladder and renal cancer: a longitudinal linked data study. Br J Gen Pract 2023; 74:BJGP.2023.0122. [PMID: 38164573 PMCID: PMC10764107 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp.2023.0122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding pre-diagnostic prescribing activity could reveal windows during which more timely cancer investigation and detection may occur. AIM To examine prescription patterns for common urological clinical features prior to renal and bladder cancer diagnoses. DESIGN AND SETTING A retrospective cohort study was performed using electronic primary care and cancer registry data on patients with bladder and renal cancer, who received their diagnosis between April 2012 and December 2015 in England. METHOD Primary care prescriptions up to 2 years pre- diagnosis were analysed for five groups of clinical features (irritative urological symptoms, obstructive symptoms, urinary tract infections [UTIs], genital infections, and atrophic vaginitis). Poisson regressions estimating the inflection point from which the rate of prescriptions increased from baseline were used to identify the start of diagnostic windows during which cancer could be detected. RESULTS A total of 48 094 prescriptions for 5322 patients were analysed. Inflection points for an increase in UTI prescriptions were identified 9 months pre- diagnosis for renal (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.3 to 12.7) and bladder (95% CI = 7.4 to 10.6) cancers. For bladder cancer, the change in UTI antibiotic prescription rates occurred 4 months earlier in females (11 months pre- diagnosis, 95% CI = 9.7 to 12.3) than in males (7 months pre-diagnosis, 95% CI = 5.4 to 8.6). For other clinical features, no inflection points were identified and, as such, no diagnostic windows could be defined. CONCLUSION Prescription rates for UTIs increased 9 months before bladder and renal cancer diagnoses, indicating that there is potential to expedite diagnosis of these cancers in patients presenting with features of UTI. The greatest opportunity for more timely diagnosis may be in females with bladder cancer, who experienced the earliest increase in UTI prescription rate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Garth Funston
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge; Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London
| | - Marie Moullet
- Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London
| | - Luke Mounce
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter
| | | | - Fiona M Walter
- Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London
| | - Yin Zhou
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge; Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Whitfield E, White B, Denaxas S, Barclay ME, Renzi C, Lyratzopoulos G. A taxonomy of early diagnosis research to guide study design and funding prioritisation. Br J Cancer 2023; 129:1527-1534. [PMID: 37794179 PMCID: PMC10645731 DOI: 10.1038/s41416-023-02450-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Researchers and research funders aiming to improve diagnosis seek to identify if, when, where, and how earlier diagnosis is possible. This has led to the propagation of research studies using a wide range of methodologies and data sources to explore diagnostic processes. Many such studies use electronic health record data and focus on cancer diagnosis. Based on this literature, we propose a taxonomy to guide the design and support the synthesis of early diagnosis research, focusing on five key questions: Do healthcare use patterns suggest earlier diagnosis could be possible? How does the diagnostic process begin? How do patients progress from presentation to diagnosis? How long does the diagnostic process take? Could anything have been done differently to reach the correct diagnosis sooner? We define families of diagnostic research study designs addressing each of these questions and appraise their unique or complementary contributions and limitations. We identify three further questions on relationships between the families and their relevance for examining patient group inequalities, supported with examples from the cancer literature. Although exemplified through cancer as a disease model, we recognise the framework is also applicable to non-neoplastic disease. The proposed framework can guide future study design and research funding prioritisation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Whitfield
- ECHO (Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare & Outcomes), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, UCL (University College London), 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.
- Institute of Health Informatics, UCL, London, UK.
| | - Becky White
- ECHO (Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare & Outcomes), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, UCL (University College London), 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
| | - Spiros Denaxas
- Institute of Health Informatics, UCL, London, UK
- British Heart Foundation Data Science Centre, London, UK
- Health Data Research UK, London, UK
- UCL Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, London, UK
| | - Matthew E Barclay
- ECHO (Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare & Outcomes), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, UCL (University College London), 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
| | - Cristina Renzi
- ECHO (Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare & Outcomes), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, UCL (University College London), 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Georgios Lyratzopoulos
- ECHO (Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare & Outcomes), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, UCL (University College London), 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 7HB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Zhou Y, Singh H, Hamilton W, Archer S, Tan S, Brimicombe J, Lyratzopoulos G, Walter FM. Improving the diagnostic process for patients with possible bladder and kidney cancer: a mixed-methods study to identify potential missed diagnostic opportunities. Br J Gen Pract 2023; 73:e575-e585. [PMID: 37253628 PMCID: PMC10242858 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp.2022.0602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with bladder and kidney cancer may experience diagnostic delays. AIM To identify patterns of suboptimal care and contributors of potential missed diagnostic opportunities (MDOs). DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective, mixed-methods study recruiting participants from nine general practices in Eastern England between June 2018 and October 2019. METHOD Patients with possible bladder and kidney cancer were identified using eligibility criteria based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for suspected cancer. Primary care records were reviewed at recruitment and at 1 year for data on symptoms, tests, referrals, and diagnosis. Referral predictors were examined using logistic regression. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 15 patients to explore their experiences of the diagnostic process, and these were analysed thematically. RESULTS Participants (n = 940) were mostly female (n = 657, 69.9%), with a median age of 71 years (interquartile range 64-77 years). In total, 268 (28.5%) received a referral and 465 (48.5%) had a final diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI). There were 33 (3.5%) patients who were diagnosed with cancer, including prostate (n = 17), bladder (n = 7), and upper urothelial tract (n = 1) cancers. Among referred patients, those who had a final diagnosis of UTI had the longest time to referral (median 81.5 days). Only one-third of patients with recurrent UTIs were referred despite meeting NICE referral guidelines. Qualitative findings revealed barriers during the diagnostic process, including inadequate clinical examination, female patients given repeated antibiotics without clinical reviews, and suboptimal communication of test results to patients. CONCLUSION Older females with UTIs might be at increased risk of MDOs for cancer. Targeting barriers during the initial diagnostic assessment and follow-up might improve quality of diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yin Zhou
- Primary Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hardeep Singh
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety, Michael E DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, US
| | | | - Stephanie Archer
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge and Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sapphire Tan
- Primary Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - James Brimicombe
- Primary Care Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Georgios Lyratzopoulos
- Epidemiology of Cancer Healthcare and Outcomes (ECHO), Department of Behavioural Science and Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care (IEHC), University College London, London, UK
| | - Fiona M Walter
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge and Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Turri G, Caligola S, Ugel S, Conti C, Zenuni S, Barresi V, Ruzzenente A, Lippi G, Scarpa A, Bronte V, Guglielmi A, Pedrazzani C. Pre-diagnostic prognostic value of leukocytes count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients who develop colorectal cancer. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1148197. [PMID: 37342188 PMCID: PMC10277676 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1148197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emerging evidence is pointing towards a relevant role of immunity in cancer development. Alterations in leukocytes count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) seems to predict poor prognosis, but no data is available for the pre-diagnostic values. Methods Retrospective analysis of patients who underwent surgery for CRC at our center (2005 - 2020). 334 patients with a complete blood count dating at least 24 months prior to diagnosis were included. Changes in pre-diagnosis values of leukocytes (Pre-Leu), lymphocytes (Pre-Lymph), neutrophils (Pre-Neut), and NLR (Pre-NLR) and their correlation with overall- (OS) and cancer-related survival (CRS) were analyzed. Results Pre-Leu, Pre-Neut and Pre-NLR showed an increasing trend approaching the date of diagnosis, while Pre-Lymph tended to decrease. The parameters were tested for associations with survival after surgery through multivariable analysis. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, Pre-Leu, Pre-Neut, Pre-Lymph and Pre-NLR resulted independent prognostic factors for OS and CRS. On sub-group analysis considering the interval between blood sampling and surgery, higher Pre-Leu, Pre-Neut, and Pre-NLR and lower Pre-Lymph were associated with worse CRS, and the effect was more evident when blood samples were closer to surgery. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study showing a significant correlation between pre-diagnosis immune profile and prognosis in CRC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Turri
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Ugel
- Immunology Section, University Hospital and Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Cristian Conti
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Silvia Zenuni
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Valeria Barresi
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Andrea Ruzzenente
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lippi
- Department of Neurological, Biomedical and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Aldo Scarpa
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Section of Pathology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Alfredo Guglielmi
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Corrado Pedrazzani
- Division of General and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Dentistry, Gynecology and Pediatrics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Catto JW, Mandrik O, Quayle LA, Hussain SA, McGrath J, Cresswell J, Birtle AJ, Jones RJ, Mariappan P, Makaroff LE, Knight A, Mostafid H, Chilcott J, Sasieni P, Cumberbatch M. Diagnosis, treatment and survival from bladder, upper urinary tract, and urethral cancers: real-world findings from NHS England between 2013 and 2019. BJU Int 2023; 131:734-744. [PMID: 36680312 PMCID: PMC10952282 DOI: 10.1111/bju.15970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We report NHS England data for patients with bladder cancer (BC), upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC: renal pelvic and ureteric), and urethral cancers from 2013 to 2019. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hospital episode statistics, waiting times, and cancer registrations were extracted from NHS Digital. RESULTS Registrations included 128 823 individuals with BC, 16 018 with UTUC, and 2533 with urethral cancer. In 2019, 150 816 persons were living with a diagnosis of BC, of whom 113 067 (75.0%) were men, 85 117 (56.5%) were aged >75 years, and 95 553 (91.7%) were Caucasian. Incidence rates were stable (32.7-34.3 for BC, 3.9-4.2 for UTUC and 0.6-0.7 for urethral cancer per 100 000 population). Most patients 52 097 (mean [range] 41.3% [40.7-42.0%]) were referred outside the 2-week-wait pathway and 15 340 (mean [range] 12.2% [11.7-12.6%]) presented as emergencies. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or multimodal treatment use varied with disease stage, patient factors and Cancer Alliance. Between 27% and 29% (n = 6616) of muscle-invasive BCs did not receive radical treatment. Survival rates reflected stage, grade, location, and tumour histology. Overall survival rates did not improve over time (relative change: 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.97-0.97) at 2 years in contrast to other cancers. CONCLUSION The diagnostic pathway for BC needs improvement. Increases in survival might be delivered through greater use of radical treatment. NHS Digital data offers a population-wide picture of this disease but does not allow individual outcomes to be matched with disease or patient features and key parameters can be missing or incomplete.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James W.F. Catto
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Department of UrologySheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSheffieldUK
| | - Olena Mandrik
- Health Economics and Decision Science, School of Health and Related ResearchUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Lewis A. Quayle
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Syed A. Hussain
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Department of Medical OncologySheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSheffieldUK
| | - John McGrath
- Department of UrologyRoyal Devon University Hospitals Foundation Trust, University of ExeterExeterUK
| | | | - Alison J. Birtle
- Rosemere Cancer CentreLancashire Teaching HospitalsPrestonUK
- University of ManchesterManchesterUK
- University of Central LancashireLancasterUK
| | - Rob J. Jones
- School of Cancer Sciences, Beatson West of Scotland Cancer CentreUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | | | - Lydia E. Makaroff
- Fight Bladder CancerOxfordshireUK
- World Bladder Cancer Patient CoalitionBrusselsBelgium
| | - Allen Knight
- Patient and TrusteeAction Bladder Cancer UKGuildfordUK
| | - Hugh Mostafid
- Department of UrologyThe Royal Surrey County HospitalGuildfordUK
| | - Jim Chilcott
- Health Economics and Decision Science, School of Health and Related ResearchUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Peter Sasieni
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Marcus Cumberbatch
- Department of Oncology and MetabolismUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Department of UrologySheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustSheffieldUK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Holtedahl K, Borgquist L, Donker GA, Buntinx F, Weller D, Campbell C, Månsson J, Hammersley V, Braaten T, Parajuli R. Symptoms and signs of urogenital cancer in primary care. BMC Prim Care 2023; 24:107. [PMID: 37101110 PMCID: PMC10131418 DOI: 10.1186/s12875-023-02063-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Urogenital cancers are common, accounting for approximately 20% of cancer incidence globally. Cancers belonging to the same organ system often present with similar symptoms, making initial management challenging. In this study, 511 cases of cancer were recorded after the date of consultation among 61,802 randomly selected patients presenting in primary care in six European countries: a subgroup analysis of urogenital cancers was carried out in order to study variation in symptom presentation. METHODS Initial data capture was by completion of standardised forms containing closed questions about symptoms recorded during the consultation. The general practitioner (GP) provided follow-up data after diagnosis, based on medical record data made after the consultation. GPs also provided free text comments about the diagnostic procedure for individual patients. RESULTS The most common symptoms were mainly associated with one or two specific types of cancer: 'Macroscopic haematuria' with bladder or renal cancer (combined sensitivity 28.3%), 'Increased urinary frequency' with bladder (sensitivity 13.3%) or prostatic (sensitivity 32.1%) cancer, or to uterine body (sensitivity 14.3%) cancer, 'Unexpected genital bleeding' with uterine cancer (cervix, sensitivity 20.0%, uterine body, sensitivity 71.4%). 'Distended abdomen, bloating' had sensitivity 62.5% (based on eight cases of ovarian cancer). In ovarian cancer, increased abdominal circumference and a palpable tumour also were important diagnostic elements. Specificity for 'Macroscopic haematuria' was 99.8% (99.7-99.8). PPV > 3% was noted for 'Macroscopic haematuria' and bladder or renal cancer combined, for bladder cancer in male patients. In males aged 55-74, PPV = 7.1% for 'Macroscopic haematuria' and bladder cancer. Abdominal pain was an infrequent symptom in urogenital cancers. CONCLUSIONS Most types of urogenital cancer present with rather specific symptoms. If the GP considers ovarian cancer, increased abdominal circumference should be actively determined. Several cases were clarified through the GP's clinical examination, or laboratory investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Knut Holtedahl
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Lars Borgquist
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, 58183, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Gé A Donker
- Primary Care Database, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Otterstraat 118, Utrecht, 3513, The Netherlands
| | - Frank Buntinx
- Department of General Practice, KU Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, Maastricht, 6200, The Netherlands
| | - David Weller
- Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Medical Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Christine Campbell
- Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Medical Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Jörgen Månsson
- Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Primary Health Care, University of Gothenburg, Box 100, 40530, Gothenburgh, Sweden
| | - Victoria Hammersley
- Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Medical Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG, UK
| | - Tonje Braaten
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037, Tromsø, Norway.
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Price S, Wiering B, Mounce LTA, Hamilton W, Abel G. Examining methodology to identify patterns of consulting in primary care for different groups of patients before a diagnosis of cancer: An exemplar applied to oesophagogastric cancer. Cancer Epidemiol 2023; 82:102310. [PMID: 36508967 DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2022.102310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Current methods for estimating the timeliness of cancer diagnosis are not robust because dates of key defining milestones, for example first presentation, are uncertain. This is exacerbated when patients have other conditions (multimorbidity), particularly those that share symptoms with cancer. Methods independent of this uncertainty are needed for accurate estimates of the timeliness of cancer diagnosis, and to understand how multimorbidity impacts the diagnostic process. METHODS Participants were diagnosed with oesophagogastric cancer between 2010 and 2019. Controls were matched on year of birth, sex, general practice and multimorbidity burden calculated using the Cambridge Multimorbidity Score. Primary care data (Clinical Practice Research Datalink) was used to explore population-level consultation rates for up to two years before diagnosis across different multimorbidity burdens. Five approaches were compared on the timing of the consultation frequency increase, the inflection point for different multimorbidity burdens, different aggregated time-periods and sample sizes. RESULTS We included 15,410 participants, of which 13,328 (86.5 %) had a measurable multimorbidity burden. Our new maximum likelihood estimation method found evidence that the inflection point in consultation frequency varied with multimorbidity burden, from 154 days (95 %CI 131.8-176.2) before diagnosis for patients with no multimorbidity, to 126 days (108.5-143.5) for patients with the greatest multimorbidity burden. Inflection points identified using alternative methods were closer to diagnosis for up to three burden groups. Sample size reduction and changing the aggregation period resulted in inflection points closer to diagnosis, with the smallest change for the maximum likelihood method. DISCUSSION Existing methods to identify changes in consultation rates can introduce substantial bias which depends on sample size and aggregation period. The direct maximum likelihood method was less prone to this bias than other methods and offers a robust, population-level alternative for estimating the timeliness of cancer diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Price
- Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Bianca Wiering
- Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK.
| | - Luke T A Mounce
- Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Willie Hamilton
- Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| | - Gary Abel
- Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Stewart GD, Klatte T, Cosmai L, Bex A, Lamb BW, Moch H, Sala E, Siva S, Porta C, Gallieni M. The multispeciality approach to the management of localised kidney cancer. Lancet 2022; 400:523-534. [PMID: 35868329 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01059-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Historically, kidney cancer was approached in a siloed single-speciality way, with urological surgeons managing the localised stages of the disease and medical oncologists caring for patients if metastases developed. However, improvements in the management of localised kidney cancer have occurred rapidly over the past two decades with greater understanding of the disease biology, diagnostic options, and innovations in curative treatments. These developments are favourable for patients but provide a substantially more complex landscape for patients and clinicians to navigate, with associated challenging decisions about who to treat, how, and when. As such, the skill sets needed to manage the various aspects of the disease and guide patients appropriately outstrips the capabilities of one particular specialist, and the evolution of a multispeciality approach to the management of kidney cancer is now essential. In this Review, we summarise the current best multispeciality practice for the management of localised kidney cancer and the areas in need of further research and development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grant D Stewart
- Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK; CRUK Cambridge Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK; Department of Urology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tobias Klatte
- Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK; Department of Urology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Laura Cosmai
- Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy
| | - Axel Bex
- Specialist Centre for Kidney Cancer, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK; Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK; The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Benjamin W Lamb
- Department of Urology, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; School of Allied Health, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Holger Moch
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Evis Sala
- CRUK Cambridge Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK; Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shankar Siva
- Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Camillo Porta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy; Division of Medical Oncology, AOU Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Maurizio Gallieni
- Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan, Italy; Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Università di Milano, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|