Cancer in teens is not diagnosed early enough

Posted 13/10/2013

More teenagers die from cancer than any other disease in the UK.According to the Teenage Cancer Trust, around 13% of adults are diagnosed with cancer following an attendance at an Accident and Emergency Department (A&E) in the UK. The rate of teenage cancer diagnosis following attendance at A&E is almost three times as high.The actual figure is a frighteningly high 37%. Perhaps the most worrying part of this statistic, on figures provided by the Teenage Cancer Trust, is that 26% of these teenagers had previously been reviewed by their GP with symptoms of cancer.The effects of a delay in diagnosis of cancer can be fatal. Regardless of the type of cancer a patient is suffering, the earlier the diagnosis, and commencement of treatment, the better the prognosis. So why is it that a quarter of the teenagers diagnosed with cancer at A&E have not been referred to the appropriate specialists following consultations with their GP? Does this constitute GP negligence?Ben Ward, a medical injury specialist at Ashtons Legal, comments: “Without knowing the exact details of each individual case it is difficult to assess what can be done to improve earlier diagnosis in teenage cancer patients.  It can be incredibly difficult to diagnose cancer in a teenager. The fact that the patients are so young is often one reason why cancer may not be considered a possible diagnosis by GPs. Instead cancer symptoms are often diagnosed as potential infections, sporting injuries and stress-related illnesses due to, for instance, exams or parental divorce.Whether such a diagnosis is reasonable under the circumstances will depend on the individual’s symptoms and their medical history. However, considering that diagnosis of these patients through A&E services is associated with poorer prognosis (due to the delay) and poorer patient care and experience (due to a lack of specialist expertise in A&E), it is vital to these teenagers that we start to consider ways in which this staggering figure of 37% can be reduced.”