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Papers of the Week


2020 Sep 04


Cochrane Database Syst Rev


9

Interventions to reduce the time to diagnosis of brain tumours.

Authors

Grant R, Dowswell T, Tomlinson E, Brennan PM, Walter FM, Ben-Shlomo Y, Hunt D W, Bulbeck H, Kernohan A, Robinson T, Lawrie TA
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Sep 04; 9:CD013564.
PMID: 32901926.

Abstract

Brain tumours are recognised as one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose because presenting symptoms, such as headache, cognitive symptoms, and seizures, may be more commonly attributable to other, more benign conditions. Interventions to reduce the time to diagnosis of brain tumours include national awareness initiatives, expedited pathways, and protocols to diagnose brain tumours, based on a person's presenting symptoms and signs; and interventions to reduce waiting times for brain imaging pathways. If such interventions reduce the time to diagnosis, it may make it less likely that people experience clinical deterioration, and different treatment options may be available.