Not all symptoms that patients go to see their GP about are straightforward. For patients with vague, but concerning, symptoms such as abdominal pain or weight loss it can be difficult to decide on the appropriate pathway or the patient may not fit existing 2WW criteria but still raise concern for suspected cancer. For more urgent problems such as painless jaundice, it can be difficult to obtain appropriate investigations quickly without arranging a hospital admission. As a result, these patients often get sent back and forth between GP and hospital, until a diagnosis can be made, or are admitted unnecessarily to hospital.
To help these patients and to speed up diagnosis, the UCLH Cancer Collaborative is currently piloting five multidisciplinary diagnostic centres (MDC) across the region for these patients. These are at: Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) and Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (going live in November).
MDCs are an integral part of achieving both the standards of the new 28-day faster diagnosis plan, as outlined by the Independent Cancer Taskforce and the wider investment in greater diagnostic capacity outlined in the Five Year Forward View ‘Next Steps’ Plan earlier this year.
Dr Andrew Millar, consultant gastroenterologist at the North Middlesex University Hospital and the UCLH Cancer Collaborative MDC project lead, said:
“Diagnosing cancer early saves lives, as the sooner we can start treatment the better the outlook for the patient.
“When a patient has vague symptoms, this often initially doesn't indicate a particular type of cancer, so it can be difficult to make sure that they get access to the right tests quickly. We are speeding up earlier diagnosis across our region by piloting multidisciplinary diagnostic centres at five hospitals for patients who have vague, but worrying, symptoms. At these centres, patients can receive the right tests quickly and, if they do have cancer, get access to the right treatment.”
Watch our video to find out more about MDCs:
Watch our video on the types of vague symptom suitable for referral to an MDC:
Download our information sheet for more information on how to make a referral to one of the pilot MDCs.