GPs ‘missing opportunities’ to spot lung cancer

Doctors in Britain are “missing opportunities” to spot lung cancer at an early stage, meaning one in three people with the disease dies within 90 days of diagnosis, a study has found. The findings have major implications for occupational health, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimating around 15 per cent of all lung cancer deaths are related to occupation, or around 5,000 deaths a year. Where cases are diagnosed late or after death, the link to work will be more likely to be overlooked.

Thorax news release. BBC News Online. HSE figures on occupational lung cancer.
Emma L O’Dowd and others. What characteristics of primary care and patients are associated with early death in patients with lung cancer in the UK?, Thorax, Published Online First, 13 October 2014. Risks 676.

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