Thousands of patients with suspected cancer are suffering delays in investigation and referral because their GPs are unable to access services, according to a new report.
Four out of five family doctors say they have been forced to send patients to hospital emergency departments in order to bypass difficulties in having cancer tests carried out.
Almost 70 per cent of GPs report delaying investigations and 65 per cent say they delayed referring a patient with suspected cancer because of the obstacles in the system.
However, the vast majority of GPs say the reorganisation of cancer services into specialist centres is a positive step, according to the study by the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The report does not estimate the toll on patients of the delays experienced by GPs, but a recent UK study found 5,000 lives could be saved every year there if cancers were detected and diagnosed earlier.
Specialist centres
In Ireland, cancer services were consolidated in eight specialist centres almost a decade ago, having previously been provided in 30 different locations. The measure, which was resisted in many parts of the country, is credited with improving cancer services and survival rates.
Most GPs say urgent patients with acute symptoms requiring treatment are seen on the day they are referred, a big improvement on 2007.
However, patients with a clinically obvious cancer wait for up to two weeks for assessment, and patients with suspected cancer wait six weeks, according to the GPs surveyed for their views on the work of the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP).
Patients with a modest possibility of cancer and non-specific symptoms also waited six weeks or more, according to GPs.
Only half of family doctors say they have access to a fast-track system for urgent referrals, and only one-fifth reported access for patients with suspected cancer.
Six out of 10 doctors said they did not have contact details at their local hospital for referral of cases of suspected cancer.
Just over half said they did not have the information they needed to assess patients’ individual risk of cancer.
Genetic testing
Doctors say patients with a family history of cancer are requesting genetic testing, but they feel they do not have sufficient information to discuss this with their patients.
“Overall, the GPs who responded to this survey considered that increased public awareness of early cancer symptoms, earlier patient presentation and rapid access clinics were the three factors which would impact most on the early detection of cancer in Ireland.”
NCCP director Jerome Coffey said much progress had been made in the early detection of cancer over the past decade but more needed to be done on patient awareness, increasing direct GP access to tests and the further development of rapid access clinics.
Cancer is the second biggest cause of death, accounting for almost 9,000 deaths a year.
Some 514 GPs responded to the postal survey, a response rate of 18 per cent.
