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11
Dec 2018
Four in ten cancer patients initially misdiagnosed
A report by the All.Can cancer initiative, which is chaired by the Patients Association, has warned that four out of ten cancer patients in the UK are misdiagnosed before their disease is detected.
The report, which is calling for more investment in early testing, warns that 21 per cent of patients surveyed said they had to wait for at least six months before the correct diagnosis was given.
The group went on to warn that this failure to make a quick and accurate diagnosis is costing the NHS money and patients their lives.
It has recently been reported that, despite the government and the NHS targeting earlier diagnosis, the UK is still lagging behind other nations in the detection and diagnosis of cancer, with many not being caught until after they’ve already spread.
Cancer Research UK last year warned that of the 356,000 people diagnosed with cancer each year, 22 per cent were only picked up at A&E. In over 70 per cent of these cases, the patients had visited their GP at least once with symptoms.
NHS England have said that it has invested a further £200m on improving cancer care, with steps including introducing mobile diagnostic units in sites across the country.
A spokesperson said “The NHS is now seeing two million urgent GP referrals a year, half a million more than in 2015 when NICE updated their referral criteria, with record numbers of people receiving treatment.
“Cancer survival rates are now at their highest ever and further work to ensure faster and earlier diagnosis – including the testing of new faster diagnosis where patients receive results within 28 days – is well underway.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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