PLUS 1: Pharmacy referral for lung cancer symptoms
Research type
Research Study
Full title
PLUS 1: Pharmacy referral for lung cancer symptoms: a feasibility study to assess the role of pharmacists in lung cancer diagnosis compared to current pathways
IRAS ID
231842
Contact name
Gareth Collier
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the UK with over 30,000 per year and although there have been major developments in surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, there has been very little improvement in survival over the last 20 years with over 85% of people dying within one year of diagnosis. This is due to patients being diagnosed at a late stage when the cancer has grown and spread meaning that the patient is no longer able to have treatment that may provide a cure.
Research indicated that delayed diagnosis is largely due to delays in patients attending their GP with symptoms of lung cancer. This is mainly due to a lack of symptom awareness and a reluctance to seek medical attention. This may because patients are concerned that they would be wasting the GP’s time and are worried about what the GP might discover. In addition patients from Wales have the lowest awareness of symptoms compared to the rest of the UK and Europe.
Pharmacy interventions have shown to be highly effective within diabetes and smoking cessation. We propose that pharmacists referral for chest x-ray in patients with symptoms of possible lung cancer will encourage patients to seek medical attention sooner and lead to more patients being diagnosed at an earlier stage.
Within this study we recruit patients to be screened by pharmacists and referred for chest x-ray if needed. They will be followed up and the outcome of their diagnosis recorded. Patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire to give feedback of the process and a sub-set will be invited to interview.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
18/WA/0215
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion