Melanoma is rare, but also the most dangerous form of skin cancer, with around 14,500 new cases diagnosed and 2600 deaths in the UK each year. Early detection is critical: overall, around 90 in every 100 patients with melanoma will still be alive five years after diagnosis. But for those diagnosed with advanced disease, only […]
New research to explore whether inviting people for screening based on their risk rather than their age alone can improve efficiency of screening programme
Dr Juliet Usher-Smith, an academic general practitioner from the Primary Care Unit (PCU) at the University of Cambridge, has been awarded a grant of almost £65,000 from Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer. The research will investigate whether people living in England should be invited to take part in the bowel cancer screening programme […]
First CanTest School held to boost research into early detection of cancer in primary care
The first CanTest International School for Cancer Detection Research in Primary Care was held earlier this month at Jesus College, Cambridge, with a focus on the challenges and cost-effectiveness of diagnostic testing in primary care. The week-long event, led by CanTest Director, Dr Fiona Walter, brought together international leaders in the primary care early detection […]
How my six week primary care SSC project led to my first-author paper in Cancer Epidemiology
Blog by Tessa Stewart, final year medical student, University of Cambridge It’s a common feeling amongst medical students that we cannot meaningfully contribute to patient care, due to our lack of knowledge and expertise. On 4 February, World Cancer Day, I felt that I contributed by publishing my first first-author paper in Cancer Epidemiology. This […]
Reimagining the diagnostic pathway for gastrointestinal cancer
Blog by Dr Fiona Walter, head of the Cancer Group at the Primary Care Unit and Director of the CanTest Collaborative A crisis is looming for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers, one grounded only partly in the steady increase in their overall incidence. Public demand for diagnostic tests to be undertaken early and at lower […]
Why do we need more than one diagnostic strategy to detect cancer early?
Blog by Dr Yin Zhou, GP and Wellcome Trust Primary Care Clinician PhD Fellow, Cancer Group at the Primary Care Unit The fast-track (or ‘two-week-wait’) referral pathway for suspected cancer was introduced in England in 2000 to expedite investigations and shorten diagnostic intervals in symptomatic patients. The criteria for fast-track referrals are based on […]