Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark
AbstractObjective To describe the use of healthcare prior to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in Denmark.Design A population-based cohort study using prospectively recorded data from Danish National Health Registries.Setting Danish general practice and hospitals.Subjects A total of 5926 patients dia...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2022.2069730 |
| _version_ | 1797661276413886464 |
|---|---|
| author | Linda A. Rasmussen Line F. Virgilsen Claus W. Fristrup Peter Vedsted Henry Jensen |
| author_facet | Linda A. Rasmussen Line F. Virgilsen Claus W. Fristrup Peter Vedsted Henry Jensen |
| author_sort | Linda A. Rasmussen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractObjective To describe the use of healthcare prior to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in Denmark.Design A population-based cohort study using prospectively recorded data from Danish National Health Registries.Setting Danish general practice and hospitals.Subjects A total of 5926 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012–2018 and 59,260 matched references without pancreatic cancer from the Danish general population.Main outcome measures The monthly frequency of healthcare use (contacts and tests in general practice and contacts and diagnostic investigations in hospitals) during the 12 months preceding the pancreatic cancer diagnosis and a corresponding index date assigned to the references.Results Compared to the references, the patients had increased contacts and diagnostic tests, especially blood glucose testing, in general practice from 7 to 12 months before diagnosis. Hospital contacts and diagnostic imaging increased from 5 months before the diagnosis.Conclusions The pattern of increasing healthcare contacts before a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer may represent a window of opportunity to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier. The increased use of blood glucose test in general practice may represent an important sign of an underlying disease. Key pointsPancreatic cancer is a rapidly progressing and highly lethal disease. Focus on early diagnosis is essential to improve the prognosis.Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of healthcare contacts from 7 months before the diagnosis.Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of blood glucose tests taken throughout almost the entire year before the diagnosis.The results may indicate that a window of opportunity exists to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:43:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c443d4d56deb4f7badcd6a423aadee22 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0281-3432 1502-7724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:43:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-c443d4d56deb4f7badcd6a423aadee222023-10-12T09:42:48ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care0281-34321502-77242022-04-0140219720710.1080/02813432.2022.2069730Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in DenmarkLinda A. Rasmussen0Line F. Virgilsen1Claus W. Fristrup2Peter Vedsted3Henry Jensen4Research Unit for General Practice, Aarhus, DenmarkResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Surgery, Odense Pancreas Centre (OPAC), Odense University Hospital, Odense, DenmarkResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus, DenmarkResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus, DenmarkAbstractObjective To describe the use of healthcare prior to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in Denmark.Design A population-based cohort study using prospectively recorded data from Danish National Health Registries.Setting Danish general practice and hospitals.Subjects A total of 5926 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012–2018 and 59,260 matched references without pancreatic cancer from the Danish general population.Main outcome measures The monthly frequency of healthcare use (contacts and tests in general practice and contacts and diagnostic investigations in hospitals) during the 12 months preceding the pancreatic cancer diagnosis and a corresponding index date assigned to the references.Results Compared to the references, the patients had increased contacts and diagnostic tests, especially blood glucose testing, in general practice from 7 to 12 months before diagnosis. Hospital contacts and diagnostic imaging increased from 5 months before the diagnosis.Conclusions The pattern of increasing healthcare contacts before a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer may represent a window of opportunity to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier. The increased use of blood glucose test in general practice may represent an important sign of an underlying disease. Key pointsPancreatic cancer is a rapidly progressing and highly lethal disease. Focus on early diagnosis is essential to improve the prognosis.Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of healthcare contacts from 7 months before the diagnosis.Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of blood glucose tests taken throughout almost the entire year before the diagnosis.The results may indicate that a window of opportunity exists to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2022.2069730Pancreatic neoplasmsearly detection of cancergeneral practicehealth services researchDenmark |
| spellingShingle | Linda A. Rasmussen Line F. Virgilsen Claus W. Fristrup Peter Vedsted Henry Jensen Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care Pancreatic neoplasms early detection of cancer general practice health services research Denmark |
| title | Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark |
| title_full | Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark |
| title_fullStr | Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark |
| title_full_unstemmed | Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark |
| title_short | Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark |
| title_sort | healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer a register based cohort study in denmark |
| topic | Pancreatic neoplasms early detection of cancer general practice health services research Denmark |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2022.2069730 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lindaarasmussen healthcareuseintheyearprecedingadiagnosisofpancreaticcanceraregisterbasedcohortstudyindenmark AT linefvirgilsen healthcareuseintheyearprecedingadiagnosisofpancreaticcanceraregisterbasedcohortstudyindenmark AT clauswfristrup healthcareuseintheyearprecedingadiagnosisofpancreaticcanceraregisterbasedcohortstudyindenmark AT petervedsted healthcareuseintheyearprecedingadiagnosisofpancreaticcanceraregisterbasedcohortstudyindenmark AT henryjensen healthcareuseintheyearprecedingadiagnosisofpancreaticcanceraregisterbasedcohortstudyindenmark |