Delays in Referral of Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Author Information
Author(s): G. D. Johnson, G. Smith, A. Dramis, R. J. Grimer
Primary Institution: Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, UK
Hypothesis
This study aims to identify the length of delays in referral to specialist centers for soft tissue sarcomas and where these delays occur.
Conclusion
There is considerable medical professional delay in the management of soft tissue sarcoma, indicating poor knowledge of referral guidelines.
Supporting Evidence
- The median time for a patient to be referred to the specialist center was 40.4 weeks.
- Only 14.6% of patients were referred within 3 months of the onset of symptoms.
- 88% of patients had at least one feature suggestive of sarcoma at first presentation.
Takeaway
Doctors are taking too long to send patients with soft tissue sarcomas to specialists, which can make the patients' conditions worse.
Methodology
Patients with confirmed soft tissue sarcoma were recruited and interviewed to gather data on delays in referral and treatment.
Potential Biases
The population studied is biased as it only includes patients diagnosed with sarcoma in a tertiary referral center.
Limitations
The study relies on patient recall for significant dates, which may introduce bias, and only includes patients diagnosed at a tertiary referral center.
Participant Demographics
{"mean_age":53,"sex_distribution":{"male":49.3,"female":50.7},"mean_BMI":26.6,"tumor_size":{"median":8,"mean":8.91,"range":"0–26"}}
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.022
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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