Cancer and Primary Care

Cancer forms an important part of the work in general practice. It is estimated that a full time GP could expect to see between 8-10 new cases of cancer per year (excluding skin cancers). With more patients surviving their cancer there will be a role for the wider primary care team in supporting these patients.

We are working with Macmillan and Cancer Research UK to support primary care in the important role that it has in the screening, diagnosis and management of cancer.

Cancer Pathway

Primary care is a pivotal part of the cancer pathway; general practice, pharmacy, dentistry and optometry see a large number of people and have the opportunity to help spot the signs and symptoms of cancer giving them the opportunity to refer on for diagnostics in secondary care.

For general practice there are three key areas where they can make a difference for their patients:

Prevention
Focusing on the fact that four out of ten cancers are preventable, we will use our interactions with patients to reinforce key messages about risk factors and signpost patients to relevant services and community opportunities.

Early detection
Primary care plays a pivotal role in the early detection of cancer. The vast majority of patients with cancer will develop symptoms prior to diagnosis, and most present to GP practices on one or more occasions before the cancer is identified. Getting a diagnosis at an early stage will help to ensure each person gets the best possible treatment. Our aim is to spread key messages about early detection to a wider audience than just GP practices but to the whole primary care workforce. The whole primary care workforce can aid efforts to diagnose cancer earlier in asymptomatic patients for example through encouraging and facilitating participation in cancer screening programmes.

Personalised Care
It is estimated that the average practice has approximately 367 patients living with and beyond cancer – this is set to double by 2040. We want to continue working with our partners to ensure patients have choice and control over the way their care is planned and delivered, this is particularly important for cancer patients who maybe experiencing their care from a variety of healthcare professionals over a significant length of time as cancer becomes more of a long term condition.