Diagnosing Head and Neck Cancer in Merseyside
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Diagnosing Head and Neck Cancer in Merseyside: A Cultural Excavation of a Classificatory Practice
IRAS ID
228229
Contact name
Terry Jones
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 28 days
Research summary
Liverpool has been designated the ‘cancer capital of the UK’, due to statistics estimating cancer incidence and mortality to be higher than the national average. Since there are stark regional variations in cancer outcomes (i.e. incidence, mortality, and survival) across the UK, this indicates that cancer in Liverpool is a place-based problem. Of central importance is the case of head and neck cancer due to its high incidence and mortality in the Mersey region. Among other things, policy makers state that a key concern is the late presentation (i.e. advanced disease) of head and neck cancer patients and the associated problems of the need for prolonged and more expensive treatments and for the patient a poorer quality of life. According to the current health (clinical and qualitative) literature, late presentation of patients is bound up with diagnostic delay which is attributed to numerous factors, such as patients not seeking medical care early on, as well as healthcare barriers that patients encounter. However, current research does not provide an understanding of the local practices and processes of head and neck cancer diagnosis from multiple perspectives, including those of patients, their families and health professionals. An integrated approach like this would help us understand the challenges involved in diagnosing cancer in Liverpool and how inequalities in cancer outcomes manifest at particular times and in specific places.
Taking an ethnographic approach, this study will explore the social and cultural practices and processes involved in achieving a head and neck cancer diagnosis. Specifically, it will do this by studying the practices, processes and implications of diagnosing head and neck cancer from the perspectives of health professionals, patients and their families. Methods include observations of diagnostic practices in Merseyside's head and neck cancer clinical settings, as well as participant interviews.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0629
Date of REC Opinion
27 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion