10 – Providing long-term support to improve cancer diagnosis
Diagnosing cancer at an early stage is crucial for maximising survival. This means encouraging patients to present to their GP early, understanding which symptoms require referral and using effective screening tools. The SPCR has a long track record of supporting primary care cancer diagnosis research, helping to shape national guidelines and fostering collaborations that led to ambitious projects.
Two of the first grants funded by the SPCR when it was founded in 2006 supported the CAPER-O and CAPER-C studies led by Willie Hamilton, who was then at the University of Bristol and now Professor of Primary Care Diagnostics at the University of Exeter. These studies examined which symptoms were most likely to be linked to ovarian and colorectal cancers. This work directly informed NICE guidelines for recognising and referring suspected cancer.
Links:
PI: Willie Hamilton / Fiona Walter / Richard Neal / Rebecca Fitzgerald / Sarah Moore / Tanimola Martins
DOI:
