GPs need help in spotting cancer symptoms, report says
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《英国医生杂志》
London
GPs and the public in England need better guidance on key symptoms of cancer to aid earlier diagnosis and improve survival, says a report from the National Audit Office.
The report says that deaths from cancer in England and Wales have fallen by 12% in the past 30 years thanks to better ways of detecting cancer and improved treatments. But survival could be better if people were diagnosed earlier, says the report.
Latest figures show that death rates for cancer in men in England and Wales are similar to rates in some European countries, such as France, Spain, and Germany, but not as low as the best performing countries in Europe, such as Sweden or the Netherlands. Rates have not fallen as much for women largely because of the uptake of smoking in the past 50 years, says the report.
The main difference in cancer care is that cancer in England tends to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than in countries with better cancer survival figures.
The report calls for action to tackle people's reluctance to see their doctor when they have suspicious symptoms. Better guidance is also needed for GPs, who, the report says, have been good at referring the most suspicious cases but who are still missing a substantial proportion of people with cancer. This has led to delays in treatment in those patients.
The report also highlights continuing inequalities in the prompt availability of some treatments, including approved drugs and radiotherapy, around the country. People in London and southern England continue to have better survival rates from cancer than those in the north east of England, it says.
John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, said: "The chances of surviving cancer are improving all the time. Saving an even larger number of lives requires more of us to know and act promptly on the possible symptoms of cancer."(Zosia Kmietowicz)
GPs and the public in England need better guidance on key symptoms of cancer to aid earlier diagnosis and improve survival, says a report from the National Audit Office.
The report says that deaths from cancer in England and Wales have fallen by 12% in the past 30 years thanks to better ways of detecting cancer and improved treatments. But survival could be better if people were diagnosed earlier, says the report.
Latest figures show that death rates for cancer in men in England and Wales are similar to rates in some European countries, such as France, Spain, and Germany, but not as low as the best performing countries in Europe, such as Sweden or the Netherlands. Rates have not fallen as much for women largely because of the uptake of smoking in the past 50 years, says the report.
The main difference in cancer care is that cancer in England tends to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage than in countries with better cancer survival figures.
The report calls for action to tackle people's reluctance to see their doctor when they have suspicious symptoms. Better guidance is also needed for GPs, who, the report says, have been good at referring the most suspicious cases but who are still missing a substantial proportion of people with cancer. This has led to delays in treatment in those patients.
The report also highlights continuing inequalities in the prompt availability of some treatments, including approved drugs and radiotherapy, around the country. People in London and southern England continue to have better survival rates from cancer than those in the north east of England, it says.
John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, said: "The chances of surviving cancer are improving all the time. Saving an even larger number of lives requires more of us to know and act promptly on the possible symptoms of cancer."(Zosia Kmietowicz)