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Quicker access to diagnostic testing for patients with suspected cancer

Pictured: Dr Ingrid Britton, Consultant Gastrointestinal Radiologist and Dr Marius Grima, Consultant Paediatric Radiologist

Adults and children with suspected cancer are being given quicker access to diagnostic tests at UHNM, leading to earlier diagnosis of cancer and faster treatment.

Currently patients who visit their GP with concerns about possible cancer symptoms are assessed against criteria for further investigations to take place within two weeks. However, in some cases symptoms might not fit the cancer criteria and patients would be referred to a consultant. The new process launched by UHNM means patients will now be referred straight for diagnostic imaging tests, bypassing the need to see a consultant first if symptoms are unclear.

Dr Ingrid Britton, Consultant Gastrointestinal Radiologist, said: “This change means that patients will receive accurate tests more quickly. The sooner we know about a problem, the sooner we can treat it, so there are enormous benefits. Before, people would go to their GP with symptoms which were unclear and may or may not have been cancer. Symptoms like loss of weight or just feeling generally unwell could be cancer – or they could be something else. These patients would not have been referred on the two-week pathway, because this only relates to investigation of cancers with certain identifiable traits, where there are a clear and definite prescribed list of symptoms - an example being cancer of the bowel or kidney. This means that patients with unclear symptoms, known as ‘clinically occult malignancy’, would previously have to wait for a consultant appointment and then be referred for diagnostic testing, which can potentially take a number of weeks. Now, these patients will be referred for diagnostic testing, such as a CT scan, upon presentation with their GP and attend for their diagnostic appointment within two weeks.”

More than 500 patients per month are already benefitting from this new arrangement by receiving diagnostic scans.

Dr Marius Grima, Consultant Paediatric Radiologist, said: “Our department receives around 10,000 requests for imaging tests per week. During a review of our services, we came up with a strategy to easily find patients with ‘clinically occult malignancy’ from the many requests that we get. Using a simple technological solution within a system that was already in use, GPs can now clearly highlight these patients. We then look out for them at our end, to prioritise their test appointment and reporting. The aim is to reduce their waiting time, which is an anxious period, and to start any treatment they may need earlier, as this can improve their outcome

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