Evaluation of the urgent referral for suspected breast cancer process
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Comparison of the "Urgent Referral for Suspected Breast Cancer" Process with Patient Age and a Predictive Multivariable Model
IRAS ID
270762
Contact name
Saed Ramzi
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
The “Urgent Two-Week referral for suspected breast cancer” referral process (U2WW) utilizes a set of criteria to prioritize referrals from Primary Care to specialist breast clinics into urgent vs non-urgent. The criteria are assumed to correspond to a certain breast cancer risk threshold. This process is linked to a mandate to appoint urgently referred women within two weeks.
The referral process has been criticized for its inadequate accuracy resulting in un-necessary anxiety in women referred inappropriately through the urgent route, and potential diagnostic delay for some affected women who are referred non-urgently. The process is also expensive to maintain.
This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of this process, and to compare it with that of age alone, had it been used as a determinant of the referral route, on one hand, and with a test that summates the known breast cancer risk and protective factors as well as the clinical findings as elicited by the referring General Practitioners on the other.REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A