Suspected Cancer in Primary Care: Guidelines for investigation, referral and reducing ethnic disparities

Summary

The guideline aims to alert primary care practitioners to features that should raise their suspicion of cancer, so they can refer patients early for further investigation.

The guideline summarises current New Zealand and overseas evidence to inform the management of people presenting to primary care with signs and/or symptoms suggestive of cancer. It also summarises the evidence for disparity in the incidence, stage and mortality rate of cancer in New Zealand, and discusses possible reasons for the differences observed.