GPs 'failing to spot breast cancer'

Thousands of women with breast cancer are being denied swift treatment because GPs fail to recognise the symptoms.

New research today reveals that as many as 10,000 a year diagnosed with the disease are initially referred to hospital as "routine cases".

The decision by family doctors not to classify them as urgent means the women are forced to wait up to 17 weeks to see a specialist.

The delays have a devastating impact on survival rates, it is claimed, with many of the cancers well advanced by the time treatment begins. Cancer charities said the situation is "unacceptable" and warned that lives are being lost.

GPs admit it is difficult to assess the severity of symptoms and say they need more feedback on the

accuracy of their referrals. The new warning follows research by the Breakthrough Breast Cancer charity, and comes as a separate study by government spending watchdogs shows women are missing out on big improvements in survival rates for cancer.

New figures from the National Audit Commission show England has leapt up European league tables when it comes to cancer survival rates for men, overtaking 10 other European countries.

Male survival rates - for prostate and lung cancers - are up to 15 per cent higher in London than in other areas.

But female cancer deaths are still the thirdhighest in Europe. Breakthrough Breast Cancer's research suggests this may be partly down to GPs failing to refer patients to hospital soon enough. Breast cancer, the most common female form of the diseaseaffects more than 34,000 women a year. The charity says 42 per cent who go on to be treated are not referred to hospital urgently. The calculations are based on records from the Department of Health and the Commission for Health Improvement, the NHS standards watchdog.

Delyth Morgan, the charity's chief executive, said: "We estimate around 10,000 women are being asked to put their lives on hold. This is unacceptable."

The charity's survey reveals that nine out of 10 women who find a lump in their breast hope to be seen by a specialist within two weeks, and almost all cases marked "urgent" by GPs are seen within this period. However, hospitals cannot cope with too many urgent referrals - encouraging GPs to classify cases which appear less serious as "routine".

Breakthrough says less than half of family doctors receive any feedback about whether they made the right decision. Ms Morgan said: "It is unrealistic to expect them to make decisions about whether a woman should be referred routinely without more feedback and regular opportunities for training."

The National Audit Commission's report shows that in the EU, only Denmark and Ireland have worse female cancer survival rates than England. Despite massive efforts, England's position in the female cancer mortality rates has not shifted since 1980.