Linked Life Data

10735948

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/10735948

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
3
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-4-19
pubmed:abstractText
In the U.K., patients with suspected skin tumours are usually referred from a general practitioner to a hospital-based dermatologist for treatment. The urgency of such referrals is currently a topic of political importance. We have studied case record data from 162 patients with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) to establish the relevance of referrals routinely being considered urgent. At presentation, mean tumour size (maximum dimension) was 7. 4 mm (median 10) and mean duration of BCC was 20.5 months (median 12). There was no correlation (all P > 0.05) between tumour size and patient age (r = 0.1325), tumour size and duration (r = 0.4433), or tumour size and interval between referral and hospital consultation (r = 0.0695). If the slow growth rate of the average BCC is assumed to be linear, a reduction in referral interval from the mean value of 10.7 weeks in our patients down to the U.K. government target of 2 weeks would equate to a size difference in BCC of 0.7 mm, which is not therapeutically significant. Individual BCCs with rapid growth or other features of concern may require urgent referral, but evidence from our patients and from other studies is that this is not routinely necessary.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0007-0963
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
142
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
446-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2004-11-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
Basal cell carcinoma: are early appointments justifiable?
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Dermatology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LP, U.K.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article