Senin, 30 April 2012

Family doctors 'miss common signs of cancer in a third of teenagers', survey reveals

Family doctors 'miss common signs of cancer in a third of teenagers', survey reveals

  • Of those cancer patients who were misdiagnosed at first, 12 per cent were told they were attention seeking

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 04:12 EST, 30 April 2012 | UPDATED: 08:02 EST, 30 April 2012

Two thirds of young people with cancer will visit their GP with at least one of the most common cancer symptoms - yet a third of these cases are missed by doctors, according to research.

One in four had to visit their doctor at least four times before they were taken seriously and referred to a specialist.

Lucy Parker, 17, from the Isle Of Man, was only diagnosed with a muscle tumour when her mother took her to hospital after she was turned away by her GP three times.

Lucy Parker, 17, is now undergoing chemotherapy. She said it took her six weeks to be diagnosed

Lucy Parker, 17, is now undergoing chemotherapy. She said it took her six weeks to be diagnosed

Of those who were at first misdiagnosed, 12 per cent were told they were attention seeking while 15 per cent were told they just had a virus.

Other misdiagnoses included telling patients they were suffering indigestion, vertigo or swine flu.

The research, conducted at Teenage Cancer Trust's 2012 conference for 300 young cancer patients, looked at the experiences of 13- to 24-year-olds when they first experienced symptoms of cancer.

Five of the most common symptoms and warning signs in youngsters are unexplained and persistent pain, a lump or swelling, extreme fatigue, significant weight loss or changes in a mole.

Researchers said their findings highlight 'the serious issue of delayed diagnosis' in the age group.

MOST COMMON MISDIAGNOSES FROM GPS'

Infection or virus (15%)

It's nothing/you're attention seeking (12%)

Sports injury (10%)

Stress, depression or psychosomatic (6%)

Eating disorder (2%)

Professor Sir Mike Richards, national clinical director for cancer, said: 'Early diagnosis is best achieved through the education of young people to increase their confidence in talking to doctors and helping everyone recognise the signs and symptoms of cancer in this age group.

'This is a major programme of work, and something which we are working closely with Teenage Cancer Trust to achieve.'

More than a third of young cancer patients believe learning about cancer at school would have helped them identify their symptoms sooner.

The majority (59 per cent) also want to see the signs and symptoms of cancer included in the national curriculum.

Simon Davies, chief executive of Teenage Cancer Trust said: 'We have been urging for cancer to be on the national curriculum for many years. We're still waiting.

'That's why we've developed our own education team to help teachers tackle this difficult topic and created Teenage Cance r awareness week to help raise awareness of the five most common signs of cancer.

'Young people need GPs to take a 'three strikes' approach.

'If a young person presents with the same symptoms three times, GPs should automatically refer them for further investigation.

'The two week referral for suspected cancer is a major breakthrough but young people won't benefit until GPs think cancer quicker.'

MY GP SAID MY SWOLLEN LYMPH NODE WAS JUST A BRUISE

Lucy Parker, 17, from Isle Of Man, was diagnosed with a muscle tumour when she was 16.

But she said: 'For a month and a half I was going to the doctors with a lump. I was prescribed antibiotics and diagnosed with an abscess.

'During this time the lump grew in size and became very painful. In that time I also found two more swollen and bruised lumps in my groin and one in my leg, my lymph nodes were also swollen.

'We went to the GP three times and I was given antibiotics and even when the lymph node was the size of a lemon we were told it was a bruise and to ignore it.

'My mum then took me to the hospital where I was told to go home, but we both insisted there was a problem. A surgeon was then asked to come to AE where he carried out an examination. He then told me there was a lump and it needed to be investigated further. That night I had a biopsy from both lumps.'

Miss Parker was first told she had Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma but this diagnosis was changed to a form of cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma nine days later.

'I didn't understand how this lump had gone from being a harmless abscess to cancer,' she said.

Miss Parker had seven months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiotherapy. She is now six months into a year's worth of maintenance chemotherapy.

She said: 'You need to tell yourself that you can do it and you will get through it. My oncologist was very positive from the start, he told me that people can get through it and I stuck with that. I think that is something that has helped me. Positive thinking is everything.' 


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I'm not sure how comforting to note how many people have the same negative opinion of GPs as I do. Our local GPs have misdiagnosed and 'fobbed off' more of my acquaintances than I care to recall resulting in several cases in death. I saw my friend coming out of the surgery a few weeks ago....she was clutching a prescription for some pain killers ..............this despite the fact that she had lost 3 stone in two months and had been in constant pain. I am not a trained doctor but I could see at once that she was very very ill. She admitted herself to a private clinic the day after I saw her and , after some tests , was given two weeks to live. She died two weeks and one day after that. If I could see that she was so ill how could the GP, with all his training , have missed it and, whatismore, refused to send her to hospital for further tests???????

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Too many GP's are spending too much time on the golf course - and too little looking after their patients - £150 k salaries have done little to benefit the sick and dying.

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Well this is nothing new ...... GPs have been fobbing patients off for years end up burrying their 'mistakes' (remember Shipman ?) I went to my GP a while back , I said "I seem to be passing blood regularly" , he said "what do you want me to do about it ? " . To say I was gob-smacked would be an understatement . It took 5 re-visits to get referred to a hospital specialist...... you know ...a real doctor ! GPs are mostly quacks with an attitude , due mainly , because that know they'll never be a top surgeon , because they didn't work hard enough. They do have 'the god complex' though , hence ....... you seriously ill people can go to hospital see a specialist you equally ill people can't. Trust me when I say, don't bother with the GP , If you have a complaint go directly to AE . MOST GPs are not worth a quarter what they earn , why such a massive salary for what is essentially a sign-posting service ?

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It isn't confined to GPs, either. When she was 19 - 20 a friend of mine had several appts. at the local hospital over a period of many months and the tentative diagnosis was sarcoidosis. Luckily she moved to another health district when she married, and they diagnosed Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma within a month. Not so luckily, the delay meant it was well advanced, but after several years of chemo. and other onerous treatments she's been getting clear scans. The outcome could have been very different if diagnosis had been any later.

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"I dont think it just applies to Cancer - Doctors in general regularly misdiagnose or dismiss a patients concerns." I think you are absolutely right. I can sympathise with so many people on this site who say they were ignored, made to feel like time wasters and, worst of all, told that they were not experiencing the symptoms they discribe. I suffered back pain for many years, was finally diagnosed with something and was then told that the condition usually has no pain associated so I should just carry on and deal with it. Awful attitude from a GP, voiced not only by the initial GP but two others from the same surgery. I think it is dreadful that GPs are so dismissive of their younger patients. I am convinced that they treat the elderly in the same manner.

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What really needs to happen is that the GMC which deals with complaints re doctors stops ignoring complaints and actually sends these doctors for more intensive training, to the point that they know what they're doing. If they refuse stop them from practising anymore. We've got so many training to be doctors that we should have enough to cope with getting rid of the bad ones.

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Concerned, Aberdeen - so what was the "condition" then? What were the symptoms? If that's how unspecific you were in the surgery, no wonder they failed to make a diagnosis. Colin, Huddersfield - I imagine GPs use the BNF far more than MIMS. This country does not have the worst rate of diagnosis of cancer in the world. You are talking out of your backside. If you don't like the bus, buy your own car. If you don't like public healthcare, put your hand in your pocket and go private. As for the "I've paid for this with my taxes and national insurance" argument. The pittance that most people actually pay via those means wouldn't pay for a month's worth of blood pressure tablets. In this world, you get what you pay for!

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Family doctors are in position, to hopefully pass you on to someone who knows more then they. Usually weeks/months later.

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You would think that when a patient is going to a doctor, who they rely on for help, with their symptoms that they would rule out the worst case scenario, just to be safe and not cost someone their life. Unfortunately they don't. And it's probably the ones who hardly complain, yet those who aren't ill and do make a fuss are seen to properly.

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I have lost a great deal of faith in doctors, not just because my son's doctor in Thetford missed diagnosing testicular cancer in him 4 times. He nearly died and now has problems because of the treatment.

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