Timely Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer

Provides a clear up-to-date account of the current practices in colorectal cancer diagnosis

Reviews both the practical and psychological aspects of colorectal cancer diagnosis

Provides an excellent example of how many aspects of the chain-of-care need to be considered to achieve an overall improvement in cancer diagnosis.

Autorentext
Louise OlssonAssociate Professor of Surgery at Karolinska Institutet.Consultant colorectal surgeonClinical conductor of project involvning ctDNA in colorectal cancer.

Inhalt

General introduction of timely diagnosis of cancer.- Symptom awareness and cancer knowledge in the general population.- Fear of cancer and wishful thinking - psychological aspects of early diagnosis of cancer.- Prevalence of alarm symptoms in the general population (eg rectal bleeding).- The value of symptom scores.- Technical skills in diagnosing colorectal cancer (rectal palpation, rigid rectoscopy).- Fast-track solutions (2 weeks wait in UK, cancer packages in Denmark).- Pre-selection for invasive investigations using laboratory tests (f-calprotectin and i-FOBT).- Making use of family history.- Optimizing endoscopy services (managing waiting lists, sigmoidoscopy vs colonoscopy).- Cost-effectiveness of CT colonography vs colonoscopy.- Emergency presentation of colon cancer.- The role of quality registers and audits.- Prognostic impact of timeliness in diagnosing colorectal cancer.- Psychological impact of diagnostic delay on patients and staff.- The role of clinical decision support system.- Risk assessment.