PHE March 2019
- This briefing summarises the evidence on delayed cancer presentation and late stage cancer diagnosis from January 2008 - January 2019.
- Evidence highlights differences relating to age at presentation, racial/ethnic groups, gender and sociodemographic background.
• Amongst all the population groups considered, the main reason for delay in presenting with cancer symptoms is lack of knowledge and not recognising cancer symptoms.
• Opportunities for diagnosing cancer in younger people are frequently missed in primary care. This may in part, be because they fall outside referral guidelines and targeted screening programmes.
• Black people with colorectal cancer are more likely to present with late stage cancer irrespective of affluence or deprivation. This may be due to factors such as cultural attitudes, beliefs and embarrassment, as well as limited access to healthcare.
• Stage of cancer at diagnosis varies between different ethnic groups. This may be due to the degree of engagement in health promotion initiatives and screening programmes.
• Poorer survival outcomes for women with bladder cancer are not explained by delays in presentation and diagnosis alone – biological factors also have an important role to play in survival outcomes.
• Poverty is associated with an increased risk of late stage melanoma presentation even when adjusted for age, sex, race and rural gradient.
• Women need to present with symptoms for bladder cancer more frequently than men in primary care (more than 3 pre-referral appointments) before being referred to secondary care.
