One-Stop Cancer Diagnostic Appointments: Minimising Waiting And Worry

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One in two people born after 1960 will be told they have cancer at some time in their life.

It’s a frightening diagnosis and cruel reminder of the value of good health. But outcomes are improving every year.

On average 50% of people diagnosed with cancer are now still alive 10 years later and survival has doubled in the past 50 years.

Breakthrough treatments such as targeted cancer drugs, immunotherapies and gamma knife surgery have been game-changers, but it’s earlier diagnosis that is really driving this improvement in cancer survival.

Early diagnosis

For instance, when bowel cancer is detected at stage 1, 97.7% of patients will survive for a year or more, compared to just 47.7% of those who are diagnosed with stage-4 disease.

The importance of early diagnosis is underlined by analysis of disruption to screening programmes during the pandemic, with a study published in The Lancet, Oncology estimating this led to an increase of up to 16.6% in deaths from bowel cancer and a 9.6% rise in breast cancer deaths.

Early diagnosis also makes a huge difference in terms of treatment options and quality of life after cancer care. For instance, when prostate cancer is caught early, it dramatically reduces the risk of life-changing side-effects from treatment.

Similarly, one in five people who have treatment for breast cancer will develop an ongoing issue with fluid build-up known as lymphoedema — most commonly because the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes.

Most common cancers

Breast, prostate and bowel cancer are among the most common forms of the disease, and account for almost 156,000 cases diagnosed and more than 40,000 deaths a year. Yet all three of these cancers respond well to treatment when caught early.

That’s why seamless and swift diagnosis and treatment of these three common cancers is integral to Private Client by Bupa, a premium health insurance and lifecare package designed to provide rapid reassurance or treatment.

In each case, care is delivered via specialist centres and begins with a conversation with a dedicated Lifecare Concierge Manager, who is already up to speed with your medical history and healthcare preferences.

If symptoms require investigation, your Lifecare Concierge Manager will organise the appropriate tests and book an appointment with a specialist consultant, all within four working days. In most cases, tests and your appointment with a specialist will take place on the same day, ensuring a one-stop diagnostic appointment which minimises the wait and worry around investigations for cancer.

One-stop tests and diagnosis

Tests for breast cancer symptoms include ultrasound and mammography, depending on what is clinically relevant, and if a biopsy is needed, that will also be carried out on the same day as your appointment with a specialist.

This means that within two days of speaking to their Lifecare Concierge Manager many patients can be reassured there is no malignancy, and if there is a problem, it will be diagnosed within four days. Treatment will begin within 31 days and be overseen by a multi-disciplinary team who work together to deliver the best treatment and support.

There is also a two-day pathway for prostate cancer, which includes a multiparametric MRI scan, which combines four different images to provide a far more details picture of the prostate than standard MRI scans.

Technical procedure

Because it is a more technical procedure, if a prostate biopsy is needed, this will be done within five days of the initial call with your Lifecare Concierge Manager.

Sometimes prostate cancer is very slow growing and described as a ‘pussycat’, while others are ‘tigers’ which are far more aggressive and grow rapidly, so your consultant will talk you through your options, supported by a multidisciplinary team with a range of expertise.

Colonoscopy or endoscopy, the primary diagnostic tests for bowel cancer are more invasive and require more preparation, so this pathway begins with conversation with a specialist nurse. This takes place within two days of contacting your Lifecare Concierge Manager.

Rapid reassurance

The specialist nurse will explain the preparation and procedures you need and schedule same-day diagnostic tests and a clinician appointment, once again minimising the worry and wait.

Vanessa Noberasco, Private Client by Bupa Concierge Manager says, “We know that suspicious symptoms can be scary, so Private Client by Bupa is designed to provide timely and tailored support — whether that is a fast-track to reassurance, or a bespoke treatment and recovery plan.”

Apply now to become a Bupa Private Client. Call 0371 3460 407, bupaprivateclient.com.

Private Client by Bupa is a concierge service providing personalised health and wellbeing services for the Ultimate Global Health Plan insured by Bupa Global.

Calls may be recorded or monitored. Bupa Global is a trading name of Bupa Insurance Limited and Bupa Insurance Services Limited which are registered in England and Wales at Companies House under numbers 3956433 and 3829851 respectively. The registered offices are Bupa, 1 Angel Court, London EC2R 7HJ, UK. Bupa Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate the activities of Bupa Insurance Limited that take place outside of the UK. Bupa Insurance Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The Financial Registration numbers of Bupa Insurance Limited and Bupa Insurance Services Limited are 203332 and 312526 respectively.

[1] https://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research/cancer-prevalence

^[2] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/survival

^[3] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-023-02171-8

^[4] https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.l408.full

^[5] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(20)30388-0/fulltext

^[6] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(19)30658-8/fulltext#

^[7] https://uroweb.org/news/why-early-detection-for-prostate-cancer-is-vital

^[8] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/breast-cancer/living-with/lymphoedema-after-treatment

^[9] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lymphoedema/causes/

^[10] https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/incidence/common-cancers-compared#heading-Zero

^[11] https://prostatecanceruk.org/about-us/projects/mpmri/