Variation in number of general practitioner consultations before hospital referral for cancer: findings from the 2010 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey in England.

Background: Information from patient surveys can help to identify patient groups and cancers with the greatest potential for improvement in the experience and timeliness of cancer diagnosis. We aimed to examine variation in the number of pre-referral consultations with a general practitioner between patients with different cancers and sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: We analysed data from 41,299 patients with 24 different cancers who took part in the 2010 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey in England.

How can health care organizations be reliably compared?: Lessons from a national survey of patient experience.

Background: Patient experience is increasingly used to assess organizational performance, for example in public reporting or pay-for-performance schemes. Conventional approaches using 95% confidence intervals are commonly used to determine required survey samples or to report performance but these may result in unreliable organizational comparisons.

Methods: We analyzed data from 2.

Population-based trends in use of surgery for non-small cell lung cancer in a UK region, 1995-2006.

Objective: To assess time trends in use of surgery in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a UK region.

Methods: Cancer registration data for patients diagnosed with NSCLC between 1995 and 2006 in the East of England were analysed. Rates of surgery use for different age, gender, diagnosis period, tumour subtype and deprivation quintile groups were examined.

Population based time trends and socioeconomic variation in use of radiotherapy and radical surgery for prostate cancer in a UK region: continuous survey.

Objective: To examine variation in the management of prostate cancer in patients with different socioeconomic status.

Design: Survey using UK regional cancer registry data.

Setting: Regional population based cancer registry.

Trends and variation in the management of oesophagogastric cancer patients: a population-based survey.

Background: Previous evidence indicates potential variation in the quality of care of cancer patients. We aimed to examine whether recent changes in the treatment of oesophagogastric cancers have been distributed equally among different patient subgroups.

Methods: We analysed population-based cancer registry data about the treatment patterning of oesophagogastric cancer (other than oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma) during 1995-2006.

Cost-effectiveness of endoscopic screening followed by surveillance for Barrett's esophagus: a review.

Screening interventions for Barrett's esophagus (BE) are appealing, but there is little supporting evidence. We reviewed health economics studies about BE endoscopic screening followed by, as required, endoscopic surveillance ("screening and surveillance" hereafter) to help inform the design and conduct of future research. Health economics studies about BE screening and surveillance were identified using electronic database searches and personal contact with authors of identified studies.