NHS records to be harnessed in pancreatic cancer screening
The NHS has started a pilot project that will sift through patient records to try to detect people at risk of pancreatic cancer as early as possible.
The study will call on hundreds of general practitioners to look for the most prevalent signs of pancreatic cancer, such as sudden weight loss coupled with a recent diagnosis of diabetes, amongst people aged over 60. Those falling under that category will be able to have blood tests and CT scans to rule out the cancer.
Around half of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will have been diagnosed with diabetes recently, according to NHS England. Even if a patient's weight has not been recorded, practices will still be asked to contact patients and gauge whether they have unexpectedly lost weight, and offer them tests if they have new-onset diabetes.
The three-year pilot – backed by £2 million ($2.7 million) in funding – hopes to demonstrate that this type of routine screening activity will lead to earlier diagnosis and better outcomes, tying in with the UK government's shift towards prevention as it draws up an eagerly anticipated 10-year plan for the NHS.
Most people with pancreatic cancer only recognise symptoms when their disease is at a late stage, and that contributes to the poor outcomes that are typically seen with the disease, which has a five-year survival rate of just 7%. Up to 80% of patients are diagnosed when their disease has advanced too far for curative treatment.
According to NHS England, the project will be an important test of using IT systems in general practice as a tool to identify people at risk of diseases.
"Pancreatic cancer is responsible for so many deaths because patients don't usually notice symptoms until the cancer is at an advanced stage, which is why we need to find new ways to pick it up," said Prof Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer.
"Through initiatives like this and the upcoming 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS is determined to go a step further – not just treat people at an advanced stage, but to go out into communities and seek people out who might be unwell without any symptoms so we can provide people with the most effective treatment."
More than 300 GP practices across England will eventually be included in the pilot, with "dozens" already taking part, said NHS England.
It will operate alongside other NHS initiatives, including the Family History Checker tool developed with Pancreatic Cancer UK, which helps identify individuals with inherited risk of the disease and refers them for regular monitoring.
Around 10,500 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year with more than half of them dying within three months of diagnosis.
Photo by Jonathan Francisca on Unsplash
