Early signals of colorectal cancer

New research shows that long diagnostic intervals of 8-9 months followed many colorectal cancer-relevant clinical features and abnormal blood tests. There is scope to optimise timely referral in symptomatic patients, through earlier use of tests such as faecal immunochemical testing. Most colorectal cases are diagnosed following symptomatic presentation in primary care; therefore, understanding patterns of pre-diagnostic clinical features might help identify when first signals occur, for timely referrals.

COVID-19 and young people's contacts with GPs

Despite challenges of the pandemic, new research indicates that GPs largely continued to provide accessible acute care for patients aged 0 to 24. Children and young people’s contacts with GPs in England dropped by 41% during the first COVID-19 lockdown; however, a two-fold increase in phone and video contacts with GPs mitigated an 88% fall in face-to-face contacts for these patients. Smaller drops were seen for groups such as infants and those with potentially more serious conditions.

Type 2 diabetes subgroups: ethnicity and outcomes

New research using primary care data shows important differences in vascular outcomes, treatment initiation, and HbA1c control of type 2 diabetes subgroups. Ethnicity is also shown to affect treatment and outcomes, with differences in treatment initiation being most pronounced for the White group, and vascular complications being higher for the Black group. Subgroups may offer a pragmatic way to develop stratified primary care pathways and improve healthcare resource allocation.