A quicker answer on cancer, with waits cut from 84 days to 6

A rapid diagnosis centre has cut waiting times for patients with non-specific symptoms who may have cancer from 84 days to 6, and costs less than current usual care if used at more than 80% of capacity, a new study by Swansea University researchers and NHS colleagues has shown.

Published in the

British Journal of General Practice

, the study is the first complete analysis of the cost-effectiveness of rapid diagnosis centres (RDCs).

RDCs are now being established within the NHS, building on experience in Denmark. They are aimed at the large number of patients who have vague and non-specific symptoms that could be due to cancer, but who do not meet the criteria for urgent referral.

The researchers evaluated the RDC in Swansea Bay University Health Board (SBUHB), which has been running since June 2017 at Neath Port Talbot Hospital. Patients are referred to the RDC by their GPs.

They are typically seen at the RDC within a week for a morning session where they are reviewed by a multidisciplinary team, examined and given a computerised tomography (CT) scan. They then see a clinician and a Macmillan clinical nurse specialist to discuss and act on the findings.

The research team examined the period from June 2017, when the centre opened, to May 2018. As well as the 189 patients who used the centre, the team also simulated a larger virtual group of 1000 patients, based on real-life data. They compared patients who followed the RDC route with those who were treated in the standard way.

They analysed the costs incurred but also the benefits to patients, using “quality-adjusted life years” (QALYs), the standard NHS measure combining quantity and quality of life.

The researchers found that:

• The average time to a cancer or non-cancer diagnosis, or to discharge from the clinic, was reduced from 84 days in usual care to under 6 days, if the diagnosis is made at the RDC appointment.

• If further investigations are arranged in the RDC, the time to diagnosis is just over 40 days.

• As long as the RDC runs at 80% capacity or over, it is less costly, as well as more effective, than standard clinical practice.

• If the RDC is run at full capacity of 5 patients per session, Swansea Bay University Health Board could save £157,858 and gain 9.2 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for every 1,000 patients attending the RDC.

Lead author Dr Bernadette Sewell, from the Swansea Centre for Health Economics at Swansea University, said:

“Our study shows that rapid diagnosis centres are beneficial for patients and the NHS. They cut waiting times, which means any treatment that people need can start earlier. The longer it takes to diagnose cancer, the worse the outcomes can be for patients and the more expensive it may be for the NHS to treat.

“The key is to ensure that the centres run at least at 80% of capacity, as the RDC in Neath Port Talbot Hospital is now doing.

“Not everyone with cancer displays ‘red flag’ symptoms which indicate the disease and make the patient eligible to be referred to an urgent suspected cancer pathway. As many as one in two might present with vague symptoms, or symptoms which are commonly found in a range of other conditions, such as weight loss, abdominal pain or fatigue.

These patients tend to bounce around the healthcare system, taking longer until a diagnosis can be made, with potentially worsening symptoms, anxiety and costs to the NHS. These previously underserved patients are the people that RDCs can really help by diagnosing or reassuring them quickly and cost-effectively.”

Dr Heather Wilkes, GP lead of the Swansea Bay University Health Board RDC, says:

“The provision of this service, and the ongoing commitment to it by SBUHB as a diagnostic resource for primary care, has made a massive difference in trying to speedily investigate and care for some of the most difficult cases in our community. It is highly valued by patients and GPs alike and has been established as a permanent service following our evaluation.”

The study was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Andy Glyde, Public Affairs Manager for Cancer Research UK in Wales said:

“This research is exciting because it shows how new ways to diagnose cancer can benefit patients and be cost effective for the NHS. It can be particularly difficult to diagnose patients with symptoms that aren’t specific but still concerning, like loss of appetite or stomach pain.
There now needs to be a decision about how this pilot can be integrated into normal practice, including linking up with the Single Cancer Pathway*.

We know that diagnosing cancer at an early stage improves survival, so it is important that the Welsh Government and NHS Wales continue to improve the way we test and diagnose cancers in Wales. This needs to include ensuring we have the right number of specialists to run cancer tests”

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Notes to editors:

The study is: “Rapid cancer diagnosis for patients with vague symptoms: a cost-effectiveness study”. Published in BJGP and available here

The researchers are: Bernadette Sewell, Mari Jones, Helen Gray, Heather Wilkes, Catherine Lloyd-Bennett, Kim Beddow, Martin Bevan and Deborah Fitzsimmons

The cost reductions do not necessarily release additional cash, though they would mean more resources available for other services

More information about The Swansea Centre for Health Economics (SCHE) at Swansea University, which is part of the College of Human and Health Sciences.

Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university offering a first class student experience and has one of the best employability rates of graduates in the UK. The University has the highest possible rating for teaching – the Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in 2018 and was commended for its high proportions of students achieving consistently outstanding outcomes.

Swansea climbed 14 places to 31st in the Guardian University Guide 2019, making us Wales’ top ranked university, with one of the best success rates of graduates gaining employment in the UK and the same overall satisfaction level as the Number 1 ranked university.

The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 results saw Swansea make the ‘biggest leap among research-intensive institutions’ in the UK (Times Higher Education, December 2014) and achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK.

The University is in the top 300 best universities in the world, ranked in the 251-300 group in The Times Higher Education World University rankings 2018. Swansea University now has 23 main partners, awarding joint degrees and post-graduate qualifications.

The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020 and aims to continue to extend its global reach and realise its domestic and international potential.

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