Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in children, teenagers and young adults (0-24 years old) in the United Kingdom. Often there are delays in diagnosing these cancers, contributing to the poor outcomes. Improving early diagnosis is a key priority.
Early recognition of cancers in this age group is hard because they are rare. In addition, the symptoms are often not specific to cancer and mimic other conditions that normally get better. One way to overcome this challenge is to better understand the early symptoms of cancer in young people, particularly in GP surgeries, where most people first seek help.
Dr Defne Saatci, working with Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox (Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences) used the QResearch database, one of the largest clinical research databases in Europe that covers 1,800 GP practices throughout the UK. Published in the British Journal of Cancer and the largest study of its kind, Defne looked at the symptoms shown by 3,186 young people with cancer when visiting the GP and compared them to 50,576 young people without cancer. Specifically, the study identified clinical features seen by GPs that are associated with cancer, including testicular swelling, head/neck lumps and enlargement of organs, as well as 17 important signs that occur at earlier stages of cancer-onset and may be significant in combination with other symptoms, such as limb pain.
Overall, this information about the early signs and symptoms of childhood, teenage and young adult cancers will have an important role in improving clinical and public awareness of cancer in this age group. It will guide GPs on which symptom groups are most concerning and require further investigation, ultimately aiming to improve earlier diagnosis.