The South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA) has launched a new education resource to support primary care professionals to identify patients who require an urgent suspected cancer referral. The online resource will comprise of seven bitesize modules, each focussing on a specific cancer or group of cancers, and can be completed within 10 minutes.
Primary care professionals are in the unique position to support early diagnosis in cancer, as patients often present to their GP practice with symptoms prior to diagnosis.
Each module will focus on a specific cancer or group of cancers, with the following modules now available to access here:
- Myeloma
- Lung cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Head and Neck cancer - includes focus on oral cancer
- Oesophageal cancer
- Brian and Central Nervous System cancer
The remaining module on ovarian cancer will be released before summer 2024.
The modules have been designed by SELCA in collaboration with the Guys Cancer Academy, along with clinical input from GP Cancer Leads and secondary care consultants. The aim is to:
- Refresh professionals’ knowledge of cancer symptoms
- Provide guidance regarding diagnostic tests, including information on local urgent direct access diagnostic pathways
- Provide key insights from secondary care
- Enable professionals to refer patients with confidence for cancer diagnostic testing
- Share poignant case studies of patients from presentation to diagnosis
The bitesize modules can be completed within 10 minutes and will include links to additional resources that can support conversations with patients.
GP cancer lead for Bexley Dr Winnie Kwan, who has supported the development of the new resource, said: “Primary care is often the first point of a patient’s journey in their cancer diagnosis. It is also the setting where an individual’s cancer risk factors are identified, such as family history, smoking, alcohol intake and obesity.
“I would strongly encourage my fellow primary care colleagues across south east London to access and complete each module when it is released, and share it with all your patient-facing team members, in order for more cancers to be diagnosed at an early stage with better outcomes for our patients.”