More people in England are being referred urgently for suspected cancer than ever before. The latest NHS statistics reveal that there were 2.2 million GP fast-track “two-week” referrals in 2018, 300,000 more than the previous year. The vast majority of patients turned out not to have cancer, but hindsight is a wonderful thing and better safe than sorry. The two-week referral system was established in England nearly 20 years ago, and it does what it says on the tin. If you present to your GP with a worrying symptom (anything from an unexplained persistent cough to a lump in your breast) and you or your symptoms fit specific criteria, then you should be seen by a specialist within two weeks to rule out an underlying…

Source: The Times April 29, 2019 16:07 UTC