Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio

User menu

  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in

Search

  • Advanced search
British Journal of General Practice
  • RCGP
    • BJGP for RCGP members
    • BJGP Open
    • RCGP eLearning
    • InnovAIT Journal
    • Jobs and careers
    • RCGP e-Portfolio
  • Subscriptions
  • Alerts
  • Log in
  • Follow bjgp on Twitter
  • Visit bjgp on Facebook
  • Blog
  • Listen to BJGP podcast
Advertisement
British Journal of General Practice

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ONLINE FIRST
  • CURRENT ISSUE
  • ALL ISSUES
  • AUTHORS & REVIEWERS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • RESOURCES
    • About BJGP
    • Conference
    • Advertising
    • BJGP Life
    • eLetters
    • Librarian information
    • Alerts
    • Resilience
    • Video
    • Audio
    • COVID-19 Clinical Solutions
Editorials

Investigating cancer symptoms in older people: what are the issues and where is the evidence?

Daniel Jones, Erica di Martino, Nathaniel L Hatton, Claire Surr, Niek de Wit and Richard D Neal
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (696): 321-322. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp20X710789
Daniel Jones
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Roles: Academic Clinical Lecturer
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Erica di Martino
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Roles: Research Fellow
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Nathaniel L Hatton
Acute and Elderly Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust, St James’s University Hospital, Leeds, UK.
Roles: Academic Trust Grade Doctor
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Claire Surr
School of Health and Community Studies, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Roles: Professor of Dementia Studies and Director of the Centre for Dementia Research
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Niek de Wit
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Roles: Professor of General Practice
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Richard D Neal
Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Roles: Professor of Primary Care Oncology
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

INTRODUCTION

Some may argue that when an older person (65 years and older) presents to primary care with symptoms that may represent cancer, they should not be investigated differently from younger patients (less than 65 years). We think that cancer risk management in older people requires a more personalised approach. Recently, there has been a significant increase in knowledge regarding the management of possible cancer symptoms in primary care.1 However, this knowledge is not age related, and research on the specific diagnostic management of symptomatic older people is scarce, despite older age being associated with greater likelihood of developing cancer. This editorial will explore the issues that are specific to the management of older people with a potential cancer diagnosis, identifying gaps in our knowledge base, and highlighting the need for more research to underpin good practice.

CURRENT EVIDENCE AND BEST PRACTICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released guidelines in 2015 on the recognition and referral of suspected cancer in primary care.2 While the guideline provides lower age limits for investigation and referral of specific symptoms it has no upper age limits, it does not specifically discuss older age when recommending investigation or referral, nor does it consider frailty, quality of life, or comorbidities. The guidance recommends discussing patients’ preferences about investigations and their potential risks and benefits, but states that there is no evidence on the information needs of older people. In fact, older people are significantly underrepresented in the evidence base underpinning the NICE guidelines. If colorectal cancer is taken as an example of a cancer with a peak incidence in 85–89 year olds, the guidance is based on 31 studies. In five of …

View Full Text

  RCGP login

Members, please Login at RCGP to access the journal online.

  Subscriber login

Enter your BJGP login information below.

Log in using your username and password

Enter your British Journal of General Practice username.
Enter the password that accompanies your username.
Forgot your user name or password?

Log in through your institution

You may be able to gain access using your login credentials for your institution. Contact your library if you do not have a username and password.
If your organization uses OpenAthens, you can log in using your OpenAthens username and password. To check if your institution is supported, please see this list. Contact your library for more details.

Pay Per Article - You may access this article (from the computer you are currently using) for 1 day for US$35.00

Regain Access - You can regain access to a recent Pay per Article purchase if your access period has not yet expired.

  Subscribe

Subscribe to the Journal - Subscribe to the print and/or online journal.

Back to top
Previous ArticleNext Article

In this issue

British Journal of General Practice: 70 (696)
British Journal of General Practice
Vol. 70, Issue 696
July 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • Index by author
Download PDF
Download PowerPoint
Article Alerts
Or,
sign in or create an account with your email address
Email Article

Thank you for recommending British Journal of General Practice.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person to whom you are recommending the page knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Investigating cancer symptoms in older people: what are the issues and where is the evidence?
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from British Journal of General Practice
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from British Journal of General Practice.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Investigating cancer symptoms in older people: what are the issues and where is the evidence?
Daniel Jones, Erica di Martino, Nathaniel L Hatton, Claire Surr, Niek de Wit, Richard D Neal
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (696): 321-322. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X710789

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

Share
Investigating cancer symptoms in older people: what are the issues and where is the evidence?
Daniel Jones, Erica di Martino, Nathaniel L Hatton, Claire Surr, Niek de Wit, Richard D Neal
British Journal of General Practice 2020; 70 (696): 321-322. DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20X710789
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
  • Mendeley logo Mendeley

Jump to section

  • Top
  • Article
    • INTRODUCTION
    • CURRENT EVIDENCE AND BEST PRACTICE
    • INCREASING AGE, INCREASING FRAILTY, AND INCREASING CANCER RISK
    • OLDER PATIENTS HAVE INCREASED RISKS
    • DIFFICULT DECISIONS, BALANCING NEEDS, AND INFORMING DECISIONS
    • THE NEED FOR SPECIFIC RESEARCH
    • Notes
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info
  • eLetters
  • PDF

More in this TOC Section

  • COVID-19 vaccination programme: a central role for primary care
  • Time to reshape our delivery of primary care to vulnerable older adults in social housing?
  • General practice in the years ahead: relationships will matter more than ever
Show more Editorials

Related Articles

Cited By...

Advertisement

BJGP Life

BJGP Open

 

@BJGPjournal's Likes on Twitter

 
 

British Journal of General Practice

NAVIGATE

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • All Issues
  • Online First
  • Authors & reviewers

RCGP

  • BJGP for RCGP members
  • BJGP Open
  • RCGP eLearning
  • InnovAiT Journal
  • Jobs and careers
  • RCGP e-Portfolio

MY ACCOUNT

  • RCGP members' login
  • Subscriber login
  • Activate subscription
  • Terms and conditions

NEWS AND UPDATES

  • About BJGP
  • Alerts
  • RSS feeds
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

AUTHORS & REVIEWERS

  • Submit an article
  • Writing for BJGP: research
  • Writing for BJGP: other sections
  • BJGP editorial process & policies
  • BJGP ethical guidelines
  • Peer review for BJGP

CUSTOMER SERVICES

  • Advertising
  • Contact subscription agent
  • Copyright
  • Librarian information

CONTRIBUTE

  • BJGP Life
  • eLetters
  • Feedback

CONTACT US

BJGP Journal Office
RCGP
30 Euston Square
London NW1 2FB
Tel: +44 (0)20 3188 7679
Email: journal@rcgp.org.uk

British Journal of General Practice is an editorially-independent publication of the Royal College of General Practitioners
© 2021 British Journal of General Practice

Print ISSN: 0960-1643
Online ISSN: 1478-5242