ArticleBJGP open2023
Referral challenges for early-onset colorectal cancer: a qualitative study in UK primary care.
Article in BJGP open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluating incidence and mortality trends of early-onset colorectal cancer and adenoma in Belgium.ESMO gastrointestinal oncology · 2026Article
- Variations in the investigation of colorectal cancer-related symptoms in Australian primary care: a retrospective cohort study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- 'I think it is helpful … I mean it's not always helpful' - diagnostic complexity in endometriosis: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- The pathway to diagnosis of early-onset colorectal cancer: exploring diagnostic intervals and their effect on outcomes.Future oncology (London, England) · 2025Article
- Understanding the impact of early onset colorectal cancer on quality of life: a qualitative analysis of online forum data.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) in adults aged <50 years has increased in several Western nations. National surveys have highlighted significant barriers to accessing timely care for patients with EOCRC, which may be contributing to a late stage of presentation in this population group.
aimTo explore awareness of the increasing incidence of EOCRC, and to understand the potential barriers or facilitators faced by GPs when referring younger adults to secondary care with features indicative of EOCRC. DESIGN &
settingQualitative methodology, via virtual semi-structured interviews with 17 GPs in Northern Ireland.
methodReflective thematic analysis was conducted with reference to Braun and Clarke's framework.
resultsThree main themes were identified among participating GPs: awareness, diagnostic, and referral challenges. Awareness challenges focused on perceptions of EOCRC being solely associated with hereditary cancer syndromes, and colorectal cancer being a condition of older adults. Key diagnostic challenges centred around the commonality of lower gastrointestinal complaints and overlap in EOCRC symptoms with benign conditions. Restrictions in age-based referral guidance and a GP 'guilt complex' surrounding over-referral to secondary care summarised the referral challenges. Young females were perceived as being particularly disadvantaged with regard to delays in diagnosis.
conclusionThis novel research outlines potential reasons for the diagnostic delays seen in patients with EOCRC from a GP perspective, and highlights many of the complicating factors that contribute to the diagnostic process.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.