Comparison of the diagnostic yields of the higher risk criteria in patients referred to either the two week standard or routine colorectal surgical outpatient clinics
| Criteria | Two week standard clinics | Colorectal surgical outpatient clinics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General practitioner data | Hospital clinician data | Hospital clinician data | ||||
| No of cancers/all patients | % | No | % | No | % | |
| *Includes two patients with unknown history. | ||||||
| B, rectal bleeding; C, change in bowel habit; P, perianal symptoms; +, symptom present; −, symptom absent. | ||||||
| 1. +B +C | 28/202 | 13.9% | 26/170 | 15.3% | 10/294 | 3.4% |
| 2. +C −B >60 y | 17/278 | 6.7% | 11/172 | 6.4% | 6/118 | 5.1% |
| 3. +B −C −P >60 y | 17/160 | 10.6% | 4/31 | 12.9% | 5/33 | 15.2% |
| 4. Abdominal mass | 7/43 | 16.3% | 4/22 | 18.2% | 2/18 | 11.1% |
| 5. Rectal mass | 12/53 | 22.6% | 13/28 | 46.4% | 7/17 | 41.2% |
| 6. Iron deficiency anaemia | 6/55 | 10.9% | 6/53 | 11.3% | 3/10 | 30.0% |
| Total | 65/695 | 9.4% | 58/421 | 13.8% | 27/478 | 5.6% |
| Other referrals | – | – | 7/274* | 2.5% | 12/1326 | 0.9% |
| Total | 40*/1815 | 2.2% | ||||