Publications by authors named "Timothy Threlfall"
Background: Rural Australians have poorer survival for most common cancers, due partially to later diagnosis. Internationally, several initiatives to improve cancer outcomes have focused on earlier presentation to healthcare and timely diagnosis. We aimed to measure the effect of community-based symptom awareness and general practice-based educational interventions on the time to diagnosis in rural patients presenting with breast, prostate, colorectal or lung cancer in Western Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOvarian neoplasia comprises a heterogenous group of tumors with distinct clinicopathologic and molecular features and therefore assessment of potential risk factors should be tumor subtype specific. As part of ongoing epidemiological investigations of ovarian neoplasia in Western Australia, we performed an initial review of original pathology reports followed, in selected cases, by reassessment of histology material to optimize accurate diagnosis. Additional immunohistochemistry, often using antibodies unavailable at the time of initial assessment, was also performed as required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFew data exist on the pleurodesis outcome in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). A retrospective review of the Western Australian Mesothelioma Registry over 5 years revealed 390 evaluable patients. Only a subset of patients (42.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To assess the effectiveness of an "enhanced" invitation letter in increasing participation in an Australian cancer registry-based study and assess the representativeness of the study sample.
Study Design And Setting: Eight hundred hematological cancer survivors, diagnosed within the last 3 years and aged 18-80 years at recruitment, were selected from one Australian state-based cancer registry. Half were randomly allocated to receive the standard invitation letter (control group).
Objective: To determine trends in incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM) caused by exposure to asbestos during home maintenance and renovation.
Design, Setting And Participants: Using the Western Australian Mesothelioma Register, we reviewed all cases of MM diagnosed in WA from 1960 to the end of 2008, and determined the primary source of exposure to asbestos. Categories of exposure were collapsed into seven groups: asbestos miners and millers from Wittenoom; all other asbestos workers; residents from Wittenoom; home maintenance/renovators; other people exposed but not through their occupation; and people with unknown asbestos exposure; or no known asbestos exposure.
Objective: This study investigates if the pattern of diagnostic testing for suspected lung cancer, stage at diagnosis, patterns of specialist referral and treatment options offered to people in rural Western Australia are similar to those in the metropolitan area. It then explores the barriers to quality care in rural areas as perceived by GPs and patients.
Methods: There was a review of GP records to obtain clinical and referral information and an in-depth interview with patients and GPs concerning their perspectives of the quality of care.
Background: The purpose of the present paper was to examine patterns of surgical care and the likelihood of death within 5 years after a diagnosis of colorectal cancer, including the effects of demographic, locational and socioeconomic disadvantage and the possession of private health insurance.
Methods: The Western Australian Data Linkage System was used to extract all hospital morbidity, cancer and death records for people with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer from 1982 to 2001. Demographic, hospital and private health insurance information was available for all years and measures of socioeconomic and locational disadvantage from 1991.
Aims: To study the incidence of primary malignant bone tumours in Western Australia (WA) from 1972 to 1996 using the database of the WA Bone Tumour Registry (BTR) and to compare these rates with those in the United States of America (USA). In addition, to undertake a linkage study between the BTR database and that of the WA Cancer Registry (WACR) for the years 1980-1996 to determine if the BTR records could be regarded as population-based and valid for determining incidence rates in WA.
Methods: For each year of the review, standardised incidence rates were calculated for osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma and for all bone sarcomas combined.
Background: Routine data from cancer registries often lack information on stage of cancer, limiting their use. This study aimed to determine whether or not it is feasible to add cancer staging data to the routine data collections of a population-based Western Australian Cancer Registry (WACR).
Methods: For each of the five most common cancer types (prostate, colorectal, melanoma, breast and lung cancers), 60 cases were selected for staging.
The incidence of cancer in people with intellectual disabilities.
Cancer Causes Control
December 2004
Objective: During the last 50 years there have been significant improvements in life expectancy among people with intellectual disability (ID), and so their incidence of age-associated diseases, such as cancer, is rising. The aim of this study was to compare the rate of cancer in people with ID with that found in the general population.
Methods: Information on 9409 individuals registered with the Disability Services Commission of Western Australia was linked to the State Cancer Registry, with 200 cases of cancer detected over 156,729 person-years.
Objective: To measure the active and total prevalence of cancer in Western Australia from 1990-98 and to examine trends in utilisation of hospital services by prevalent cancer patients.
Method: Longitudinal analysis of linked cancer registrations, hospital separations and death registrations in Western Australia in 1990-98 using a population-based record linkage system.
Results: There was an estimated total of 53,450 patients ever-diagnosed with cancer in Western Australia at 30 June 1998 (29.