Lung cancer diagnosis: emergency vs referral
Healthcare use before lung cancer diagnosis is different for patients diagnosed in emergency versus those diagnosed via GP referral, according to researchers from University College London. They found that 33% of patients were emergency-diagnosed, and nearly all had consulted in primary care in the year pre-diagnosis, independently of diagnostic route. Emergency-diagnosed patients had shorter diagnostic windows than referred-route patients; and referred-route patients had higher rates of pre-diagnostic consultations for cough and chest X-ray use.
