A new study by researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) shows that patients with certain chronic diseases may experience delayed diagnosis of lung cancer. This is particularly concerning as lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer death for men and women in the UK, with high mortality rates largely attributed to late diagnosis.
The research highlights how some chronic diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, can mask the early symptoms of lung cancer, leading to diagnostic delays. The study analysed GP and hospital data for 11,870 lung cancer patients in England diagnosed between 1990 and 2019.
Key findings
Dr. Imogen Rogers, who led the analysis, reported that patients with one or more conditions that could provide ‘alternative explanations’ for lung cancer symptoms experienced significant delays in diagnosis. The study found:
Patients with an ‘alternative explanation’ condition, such as COPD or asthma, were diagnosed with lung cancer on average 31 days later.
Patients with two or more of these conditions experienced even longer delays, averaging 74 days.
COPD was found to be the condition that led to the longest delay in lung cancer diagnosis, with affected patients diagnosed 59 days later than those without the condition.
The study also found that conditions that place ‘competing demands’ on a GP’s time, such as arthritis or diabetes, did not significantly affect the time to diagnosis of lung cancer when factors such as age, sex, and smoking status were taken into account.
