title: The general practitioner-patient consultation pattern as a tool for cancer diagnosis in general practice.
abstract: A case-control study design was used to examine consultation patterns during the three years leading up to the diagnosis of an internal malignancy, within the context of the registered patient list of a single large general practice at Winterton, North Lincolnshire. Using a combination of matching, consultation subclassification, and conditional logistic regression, account was taken of the major confounders affecting consultation rates. Generally, the odds of cancer rose in tandem with increases in the average time between new consultations. This trend was significant for all breast cancers (at the 5% level) and persisted after adjustment for occupation, smoking, and marital status (P = 0.03), as well as after the exclusion of patients identified by routine screening (P = 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Hull. N.Summerton@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Summerton
authors.forename: Alan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Summerton
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009819:Office Visits / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D013997:Time Factors