The diagnosis and subsequent management of sarcoma often requires multiple separate attendances to Hospital and often a prolonged inpatient stay post surgery. Previous research has focused on the physical and emotional aspects of a diagnosis of cancer, but little has been discussed regarding the financial costs incurred by patients and their families. 40 patients treated at our Unit were contacted and were questioned about the financial costs relating to their diagnosis and treatment. The questionnaire included distance travelled to the Unit, mode of transport, who patients were accompanied by, costs whilst at the Hospital e.g. car parking, days off work and impact on employment and career progression.Introduction
Methods
General Practitioners will be confronted with a sarcoma rarely in their working lives. Most will never see a bone sarcoma although most will see at least one soft tissue sarcoma. Guidelines designed to lead to earlier diagnosis of the most common cancers were introduced by NICE in 2000 and were updated in 2005, containing basic guidance on the earlier diagnosis of bone and soft tissue tumours. Referral criteria include: masses greater than 5cm in diameter, masses deep to fascia, masses which are fixed or immobile, masses which are painful, those which are increasing in size and recurrence after previous excision We examined 350 General Practitioner referrals over the past 3 years to our service and examined the correlation between the above criteria and the likelihood of malignancy.Introduction
Methods
A GP may only encounter one sarcoma in their professional career. Early diagnosis and treatment will improve the outcomes of this rare and malignant disease. Guidelines designed to lead to earlier diagnosis of the most common cancers were introduced by NICE in 2000 and were updated in 2005. These advise and assist in the early referral of potential bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Prior to 2000 only ~10% of GP referrals were proven to be malignant. In a referral region of ∼3m, we reviewed the referral patterns of suspected sarcoma by General Practitioners since 2005 in an effort to determine whether the published NICE guidelines had influenced an improvement in the diagnosis and management of malignant disease.Introduction
Methods
