Results from two national cancer audits – what’s changed in referrals and early diagnosis for cancer between 2014 and 2018?

In this episode, we talk to Ruth Swann who is a Senior Analyst for Cancer Research UK in partnership with NHS England, about the study she’s published alongside colleagues here in the BJGP. Title of paper: Comparison between the 2018 and 2014 National Cancer Diagnosis Audits for EnglandAvailable at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2022.0268There is ongoing national monitoring of elements of the cancer referral process from primary care, including the proportion of urgent referrals (‘2-week waits’, TWW) and emergency presentations. The 2014 National Cancer Diagnosis Audit (NCDA) provided a richer picture of this process, as reported by GPs themselves. This research presents a direct comparison of that audit to the more recent one carried out on patients diagnosed in 2018, with revised NICE guidance on referral of suspected cancer having been published in 2015, showing the changes in practice and their direction.