title: The role of primary care in early detection and follow-up of cancer.
abstract: Primary care providers have important roles across the cancer continuum, from encouraging screening and accurate diagnosis to providing care during and after treatment for both the cancer and any comorbid conditions. Evidence shows that higher cancer screening participation rates are associated with greater involvement of primary care. Primary care providers are pivotal in reducing diagnostic delay, particularly in health systems that have long waiting times for outpatient diagnostic services. However, so-called fast-track systems designed to speed up hospital referrals are weakened by significant variation in their use by general practitioners (GPs), and affect the associated conversion and detection rates. Several randomized controlled trials have shown primary care-led follow-up care to be equivalent to hospital-led care in terms of patient wellbeing, recurrence rates and survival, and might be less costly. For primary care-led follow-up to be successful, appropriate guidelines must be incorporated, clear communication must be provided and specialist care must be accessible if required. Finally, models of long-term cancer follow-up are needed that provide holistic care and incorporate management of co-morbid conditions. We discuss all these aspects of primary care, focusing on the most common cancers managed at the GP office-breast, colorectal, prostate, lung and cervical cancers.
authors.affiliation: 1] General Practice and Primary Care Academic Centre, University of Melbourne, 200 Berkeley Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia. [2] University of Western Australia, General Practice, M706, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Emery
authors.affiliation: University of Western Australia, General Practice, M706, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: University of Western Australia, General Practice, M706, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Briony
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Monash University, School of Primary Health Care, Building 1270 Ferntree Gully Road, Notting Hill, Victoria 3168, Australia.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.affiliation: University of Western Australia, General Practice, M706, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fallon-Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute of New South Wales, PO Box 41, Alexandria, New South Wales 1435, Australia.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varlow
authors.affiliation: Sydney School of Public Health, Edward Ford Building (A27), University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Lyndal J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Trevena
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires