The contribution of a negative colorectal screening test result to symptom appraisal and help-seeking behaviour among patients subsequently diagnosed with an interval colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes using a guaiac faecal occult blood test (gFOBt) reduce CRC mortality. Interval cancers are diagnosed between screening rounds: reassurance from a negative gFOBt has the potential to influence the pathway to diagnosis of an interval colorectal cancer.

Methods: Twenty-six semi-structured face-to-face interviews were carried out in Scotland and England, with individuals diagnosed with an interval colorectal cancer following a negative gFOBt result.

Understanding of a negative bowel screening result and potential impact on future symptom appraisal and help-seeking behaviour: a focus group study.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening using a faecal occult blood test (FOBt) has the potential to reduce cancer-related mortality. Symptom vigilance remains crucial as a proportion of cancers will be diagnosed between screening rounds. A negative FOBt has the potential to influence how participants respond to future symptoms of CRC.

Seasonal variation in diagnosis of invasive cutaneous melanoma in Eastern England and Scotland.

Background: Worldwide, the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has been reported to be highest in the summer and lowest in the winter. Northern Irish data suggested seasonal variation for women only, especially those with thinner melanomas, sited on limbs. We interrogated two larger UK cancer registries for temporal differences in melanoma diagnosis and associated patient characteristics.

Targeted prostate cancer screening in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: results from the initial screening round of the IMPACT study.

Background: Men with germline breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) or breast cancer 2, early onset (BRCA2) gene mutations have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa) than noncarriers. IMPACT (Identification of Men with a genetic predisposition to ProstAte Cancer: Targeted screening in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers and controls) is an international consortium of 62 centres in 20 countries evaluating the use of targeted PCa screening in men with BRCA1/2 mutations.

Objective: To report the first year's screening results for all men at enrollment in the study.

Evaluation of the use of digital images for a national prostate core external quality assurance scheme.

Aims: To evaluate the use of virtual images as an alternative to glass slides to expand the number of participants in the External Quality Assurance Scheme for prostatic biopsies.

Methods And Results: Benign and neoplastic cases, previously circulated as glass slides, were selected to include cases that had demonstrated a high level of agreement (n = 10) and a lesser degree of agreement (n = 10). Whole slide virtual images were circulated to 68 pathologists; 51 responses were returned.

Measuring interobserver variation in a pathology EQA scheme using weighted κ for multiple readers.

Background: A Urological Pathology External Quality Assurance (EQA) Scheme in the UK has reported observer variation in the diagnosis and grading of adenocarcinoma in prostatic biopsies using basic κ statistics, which rate all disagreements equally.

Aim: The aim of this study is to use customised weighting schemes to report κ statistics that reflect the closeness of interobserver agreement in the prostate EQA scheme.

Methods: A total of 83, 114 and 116 pathologists took part, respectively, in three web-based circulations and were classified as either expert or other readers.

A practical application of analysing weighted kappa for panels of experts and EQA schemes in pathology.

Background: Kappa statistics are frequently used to analyse observer agreement for panels of experts and External Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes and generally treat all disagreements as total disagreement. However, the differences between ordered categories may not be of equal importance (eg, the difference between grades 1 vs 2 compared with 1 vs 3). Weighted kappa can be used to adjust for this when comparing a small number of readers, but this has not as yet been applied to the large number of readers typical of a national EQA scheme.

Effects of a prostate awareness pilot on GP consultations and PSA requests.

Background: A Department of Health prostate awareness initiative, piloted in Coventry in 2006, promoted reporting of symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and prostate cancer to GPs without causing sudden increases in workload. Qualitative evaluation showed a wide distribution of materials.

Objectives: Evaluation of effects of the pilot on rates of GP urological consultations, prescriptions and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) requests in general practice in Coventry and three control areas.

Bayesian belief network for the Gleason patterns in prostatic adenocarcinoma: development of a diagnostic decision support system for educational purposes.

Objective: To develop a Bayesian belief network (BBN) for Gleason grading of prostate adenocarcinoma.

Study Design: A shallow network was developed for Gleason grading with open-tree topology, with a root node containing 5 subjective diagnostic alternatives and 8 first-level descendant nodes for diagnostic features. Features or diagnostic clues of the descendant nodes were based on architecture of Gleason patterns.

Rates of prostate-specific antigen testing in general practice in England and Wales in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To assess the rate of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for prostate cancer in general practice in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.

Subjects And Methods: The cross-sectional study took place in England and Wales, was population-based and covered 469 159 men aged 45-84 years. Pathology data on PSA tests requested between 19 November 1999 and 31 May 2002 by general practitioners (GPs) were provided by 28 pathology laboratories.