A new cancer strategy drawn up by health watchdog, NICE could save up to 5,000 lives a year if doctors order tests directly instead of referring patients to specialists.
One in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and a late diagnosis can become terminal. However, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has laid out new guidelines that could halve the number of deaths due to late diagnosis each year.
NICE are recommending that in some cases where cancer is suspected, patients should be sent for tests before being referred to a specialist because the longer the disease goes undetected, the greater the chance is that it will spread.
The guidelines say that GPs should order certain tests directly, therefore bypassing referrals to specialists and speeding up a patients access to treatment.
It would mean that in certain cases GPs would be able to order CT scans and internal examinations such as endoscopies without having to go through a specialist first.
David Martin was diagnosed with bladder cancer 15 years ago and claims his early referral and diagnosis was what helped him successfully beat the disease. He said: “I’m thankful that I chose to see my GP and that he quickly realised it might be serious and referred me on for specialist tests.”
It’s a major reason why I am still here today, an early referral can really help to make a difference.
David Martin, cancer survivor.
NICE hopes this will allow for a faster diagnosis and also ease the pressure on specialists’ time, freeing them up to see more patients.
Professor Mark Baker, the Clinical Practice Director at NICE, said: “The best way to successfully treat cancer is to make an early diagnosis, the sooner the disease is identified the more likely treatment is to be effective.
“What we would ideally like to see is more people acting quickly and seeing their doctor when they notice a particular change to their body and GPs referring those people in the right direction for tests.”
The health committee has also produced information to help patients spot the most common signs of cancer so that they can seek out medical advice quickly.
