Publications by authors named "D W Huws"
Article Synopsis
- Cancer research is hindered by the need for high-quality, resource-intensive data, and this study compares on-site diagnostic cancer data collected during the SYMPLIFY study with existing cancer registry data from England and Wales to evaluate its validity and timeliness.
- Data from over 5,400 participants was analyzed, focusing on the relevance and timeliness of cancer diagnoses made within nine months of enrollment, covering various classifications including ICD-10 codes, morphology, stage, and TNM classification.
- Findings revealed high levels of data completeness (84%-100% for morphology), but lower completeness for overall stage (43%-100%) and TNM stage (74%-83%), with a notable concordance rate
Background: There is little evidence on variation in radiotherapy use in different countries, although it is a key treatment modality for some patients with cancer. Here we aimed to examine such variation.
Methods: This population-based study used data from Norway, the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), nine Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan), and two Australian states (New South Wales and Victoria).
Background: There are few data on international variation in chemotherapy use, despite it being a key treatment type for some patients with cancer. Here, we aimed to examine the presence and size of such variation.
Methods: This population-based study used data from Norway, the four UK nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), eight Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan), and two Australian states (New South Wales and Victoria).
Purpose: Public health measures instituted at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK in 2020 had profound effects on the cancer patient pathway. We hypothesise that this may have affected analgesic prescriptions for cancer patients in primary care.
Methods: A whole-nation retrospective, observational study of opioid and antineuropathic analgesics prescribed in primary care for two cohorts of cancer patients in Wales, using linked anonymised data to evaluate the impact of the pandemic and variation between different demographic backgrounds.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted regular cancer diagnosis, leading to a study that aimed to create more timely estimates of cancer incidence using pathologically confirmed cancers (PDC) in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
- The study analyzed the number of various cancer types diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 compared to pre-pandemic data from 2019, revealing a significant decrease in malignancies during the pandemic, particularly in Scotland.
- The findings suggest that PDC can provide quicker reporting of cancer incidence than traditional methods, although further research is needed to confirm their accuracy against standard registration processes.