Catto - Figure 10
Treatment can be slow
FIG. 10: Bearing in mind that almost one-third of women have had ≥3 consultations with their community doctor before they are referred with bladder cancer,[12] it is clear that considerable delays can occur for patients who are having standardized care. So if a patient requires an operation before the end of the year, that patient needs to receive a referral before, on, or around September 4 – which seems unacceptable.
To improve and streamline care of bladder cancer, a part of any solution needs to focus on trying to remove some of the burden elsewhere in the pathways, such as unnecessarily extensive surveillance and follow-up of patients.
References
Lyratzopoulos G, Abel GA, McPhail S, et al. Gender inequalities in the promptness of diagnosis of bladder and renal cancer after symptomatic presentation: evidence from secondary analysis of an English primary care audit survey. BMJ Open. 2013;3.pii: e002861 https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002861
