Time Intervals in the Pathway to Diagnosis of Patients with Cancer

Background: Around one-quarter of all people in the developed world die of cancer, with primary care being the main setting in which the disease is first suspected because the majority of patients consult a general practitioner (GP) when they present with symptoms. Diagnostic delay may thus be attributable to the patient, the GP, or the healthcare system. While some findings suggest that as much as half of the total delay consists of patient delay, more research is nonetheless needed into how GPs can facilitate access to diagnostic evaluation when patients experience symptoms. Methods: A retrospective observational study will be conducted to evaluate a cohort of patients diagnosed with cancer, with data being obtained from both primary and specialised care settings. Different time intervals will be analysed, dating from onset of first symptoms to diagnosis or initiation of treatment, and will be classified as: patient interval; primary-care interval; healthcare-system interval; diagnostic interval; treatment interval; and total interval. Study variables will include patient characteristics (socio-demographic, risk factors, morbidity, etc.), tumour characteristics (tumour stage, symptom onset, alarm symptoms, etc.), and healthcare characteristics (place of initial consultation, referral to specialised care, etc.). Discussion: The study will describe diagnostic delays in patients with cancer in primary care, considering the time elapsed between symptom onset and initial consultation, request for tests and/or patient referral, first evaluation in the hospital setting, and date of diagnostic confirmation and treatment initiation. Additionally, the study will make it possible to identify the patient-, healthcare-, and disease-related variables that intervene in the duration of such delays.