There’s more to emergency diagnoses than GPs ‘failing cancer patients’

My father has contacted his g.p. regularly over the last year with blood in urine, back pain feeling, very tired all the time and Breathlessness.
He had mainly telephone consultations and was prescribed diazepam for his back pain with out an examination.
He was sent to the hospital for a chest X-ray over the phone.
He was in so much pain whilst at the hospital for the chest x-ray that my Mum insisted on him seeing a doctor in A&E.
They sent him for a CT scan and PSA blood test and diagnosed advanced prostate cancer with in half an hour of him entering A&E.
That was early March. Because he was diagnosed in A&E he didn’t receive any supportive literature and wasn’t seen by a urologist for two weeks. In fact he was seen when he was admitted through A&E with Fluid in his lungs.
I will let him read this email as I am sure he will be over the moon to know that the GP’s are on top of it and that he must have just imagined the lack of care he was shown over the last year. My daughter is getting married in August. Fingers crossed he might still be here.

I have no family or friends in my area. Since being operated on for breast cancer 2nd September 2016.Had no support what so ever. I am now waiting for another operation for skin cancer on my face.
If I waited for the referral from GPS. I would not have been seen before 22nd may. Through my own initiative I got a rdv and operated on by the dermatologist.Who showed compassion
I received the results positive on 22nd may.my GPS now realizes I need professional help.I suffer from clinical depression

I have supported your organisation for many years and have always regarded your efforts to inform the public as second to none. Frankly this last publication appears to ignore a number of points.
1) Far too many patients are diagnosed late despite presenting with symptoms known to be cancer indicators.
2) Cancers are far less difficult to diagnose if people are referred to EXPERTS and as we all know; the earlier the better.
3) Understanding and accepting that the absence of evidence is not always evidence of absence…
Given the comments so far perhaps GP’s should err on the side of caution and if and when symptoms represent; fast-track, RE-TEST and monitor. Late referral has nothing to recommend it!! it makes the Consultants job much more difficult, it is far more expensive and unsurprisingly kills people unnecessarily.

My Dad repeatedly went to his GP and was told to take Gaviscon for his ‘indigestion. He eventually (after pestering) was sent for a scan and died 6 weeks after diagnosis for Pancreatic Cancer.

Jan Whitaker is correct to point out the long wait for GP appointments. Additionally, my practice no longer has routine appointments after about 1430hrs, – a recent development – and I know from an occasion unrelated to cancer that my (public sector) employer issues written warnings to people attending initial GP consultations during works time. “Fortunately” my Myeloma was discovered fairly quickly, as a very young locum was very through after I fainted and was violently sick on one occasion. Blood tests revealed anaemia and I was seen by a haemotologist less than 48 hours later. MM was confirmed 17 days later and after 5 months of problematic chemo, I have been in “semi remission” and stable for over 3 years.
I think John Hannon is directing his cynicism at the wrong people. The Media industry write headlines and stories, not Researchers, and you only have to look at the Election coverage and any other vaguely political/controversial subject to know that the British Media (even the BBC) are absolutely appalling; They all have their own, populist and prejudiced agenda and headlines rarely even match the stories, never mind the true facts behind them

Twelve years ago my MALE doctor though I may have the early signs of prostate cancer but told me a PSA test was “indicative but not definitive” and therefore did not arrange for me to have one (at a cost of about £7:50 at that time). The took early retirement and his cases were reviewed by a lady doctor in the practice and she immediately had a PSA test done, and that found that I was indeed in the early stages of Prostate cancer. This worried me as my father had died of the cancer 18 years earlier. I was put into the process of further checks, biopsies and treatment, by radiation therapy, and after the course of treatment I was found to be cured, as far as any treatment can effect a cure. I have PSA tests every 6 months and the readings as about as low as it is technically possible to get. Any man who suspects he has a problem should insist that his doctor gives him a PSA test and that the local hospital carries out follow-up action as a matter of urgency as Prostate Cancer is relatively easily treated and cured.

My beautiful daughter in law had been to the Doctor 6 times and nothing was done, she was taken to A&E and diagnosed within 24 hours. 8 months later she died at 35yrs old. Her young baby was 16 months and she had a very bad cough when giving birth.

Similarly to Pauline Shaw, my late mother (also a Pauline) was fobbed off by her female GP for almost a year. My mother was very body-aware and knew that something wasn’t right but her GP was giving lots of other reasons for why my mother was feeling bloated, indegested, nauseated… acid reflux was the main fobb off. After pushing and pushing and pushing, my mum was finally given an ultrasound and then further tests and guess what was she diagnosed with? Late stages of Ovarian Cancer – the disease was the size of a small grapefruit on one ovary and had started to spread around her body. Needless to say that the GP left the surgery after this, perhaps a guilty conscience?
I don’t like playing the blame game or what if, but I often think back and say that if my mother had been listened to earlier, her chances of survivial would have almost certainly been higher. She fought for 5 long years and much longer than expected, but the C was too aggressive for her body to eventually fight off.
I have heard or read similar stories like this (not on the Daily Mail) and it is worrying. Obviously not all GP’s are like this and the NHS is having money/staff cuts, but surely if a patient is showing potential signs of Cancer, they should be tested immediately to rule it out?

My niece’s husband died at the age of 34 because he was wrongly diagnosed by GP with IBS, without any tests, for about 3 years. He became very ill and had to be admitted to hospital where they treated him for (unspecified) infection for two weeks before they finally investigated and found he had bowel cancer, by which time it had become inoperable, he died 5 months later. I signed a petition some while ago to lower the screening age for bowel cancer to 50, I suggested it should be even lower.

Two months ago my annual PSA blood test gave a high reading. I had a telephone consultation with my GP and she referred me to the hospital. St Peter’s Hospital and Ashford Hospital were fantastic: within days I saw a consultant, had an MRI scan and a biopsy (which did not show signs of prostate cancer).
The NHS were fantastic- just as good as BUPA.
It was me who insisted on an annual PSA blood test as my family has a strong history of prostate cancer. I made sure I attended all my appointments on time and prepared as per the hospital instructions. I had no idea that lots of people don’t bother to turn up and don’t listen to advice given by the hospital.
I am thankful for having a negative cancer result: the message from my consultant was ‘well done for being so proactive’. I am not a naturally pushy person but when it comes to cancer I am.
My message would be if you are worried about cancer tell your GP and make a fuss. The cancer tests are often not pleasant but they are over quickly and no where near as bad as people had told me they were. We all know how important an early diagnosis is.

I rad you article regarding GP’s missing cancer signs in their patients.
In my case I had visited my GP for 8 months, not once did she examine me, she referred me to the local hospital and then ignored their report which stated my past medical history of cancer my mothers history of cancer and my symptoms indicators of possible cancer.
I was in so much pain I made an appointment with another GP as an emergency who examined me and referred me for a scan within 2 days, 2 weeks later I saw a consultant at the hospital who confirmed I had a grade 3 cancer.
I have made a complaint to my previous GP practice, so far she has blamed me, the original doctor at the hospital and staff on the front desk at the GP practice
for her mistake, taking no responsibility
herself.
My complaint is now with the health ombudsman being investigated by them.

I do not agree with this when my husband repeatedly went to his gp with symptons which turned out to be pancreatic cancer. He was eventually sent for a CT scan under the 2 week rule but his results were not reported back for a further 3 weeks, his tumour was then deemed inoperable and he died after intensive chemotherapy 12 months later, leaving his family heartbroken

I hold my mothers GP equally responsible for her death from a curable cancer. His response when asked for an explanation of decisions made of her care took weeks to come and showed not an ounce of regret, empathy or responsibility.

Doctors and hospitals did not get my husbands illness at all he was not treated right at all failed by both

My Dad was wrongly diagnosed by his doctor four times. It was a stand in doctor that finally sent my Dad for scans and by that time the cancer had spread, he died 8mths later 😡X

In the case in my family, the GP practice were unable to provide blood test facility for several days. Therefore the patient was taken to a&e for immediate blood test, which revealed leukaemia.

Unfortunately it does take too long to even get an appointment to see a GP – 7 weeks and I only got an appointment then because I pleaded. I had cancer 6 years ago but the GP was not interested, eventually I went to a walk-in centre, was sent for the correct tests, diagnosed and treated by the fabulous doctors at the hospital.

My sons bowel cancer was missed more than half a dozen times even though he had classic symptoms. The GP ignored all of the symptoms and did NO investigations on the basis that at 26 he was ‘too young’ to have bowel cancer. In the end it was a locum GP who spotted it straight away but it was too late. 17 rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery and internal radiotherapy (that he shouldn’t have had because the cancer had spread too far but the doctors ‘missed it’ on the scan) that left him paralysed for the last 2 weeks of his life was what he endured over the last year of his life. So no, I don’t suppose for a minute that it is ALWAYS the GPs fault but in my sons case it definitely was the fault of the 3 GPs in one practice who missed it, all of whom are still practicing while my precious son is gone. It’s not good enough.

Whilst some of this is true the same cannot be said for the situation my dad found himself in. He visited his GP on several occasions over several long months before going to A&E last year. After 2 weeks in hospital and 2 weeks at home he sadly passed away from cancer. Had his GP done his job properly or at least attempted to try and ascertain some of the underlying issues rather than just fobbing him off everytime and throwing painkillers at him he may have had longer with us or at least not had to spend some of his final weeks in hospital while they diagnosed him. Even after his death the GP was completely incompetent and didn’t fill out the death certificate properly causing added and unnecessary stress at an already difficult time for me and my family.

So no, not all GPs fail their patients but on this occasion my dads GP did.

My nan repeatedly went to her GP and actually requested a referral but the GP refused stating she was fine – she was taken by ambulance to hospital and diagnosed with brain and lung cancer that night, and given six months to live. She was failed by that GP and she was made to feel like a nuisance in the run up to that hospital visit. She was only 63 with frequent severe headaches and she was seriously confused about which room was which in her house (she was blind). GPs don’t listen and turn you away, they make you feel like a pest and there isn’t anything you can do about it.

I saw my GP for unexplained bleeding. He immediately sent a referral to hospital. My consultant said he was very on the ball and it turned out to be stage one uterine cancer. I was very lucky and grateful to my GP.

My doctor probably saved my life by getting me a range of tests for ibs symptoms, it turned out to be stomach cancer. Just thankful for the tests even though I had to wait for appts.

In my experience not being able to get an appointment at my GP and being fobbed off when I did meant I had to go to A&E as an emergency. I was 29 at the time with advanced bowel cancer but I wasnt treated as a priority because I didn’t fit the profile of what they thought a cancer patients should be.

I NEVER give information to researchers because, like MP’s, they distort the information to promote their needs and ego.
If I have anything to say about the Dr(s) at the surgery I use, I would say it to their face, not to some headline glory hunting nobody.