Doing 'detective work' to find a cancer: how are non-specific symptom pathways for cancer investigation organised, and what are the implications for safety and quality of care? A multisite qualitative approach.

Patients presenting with non-specific symptoms (NSSs) suggestive of cancer may experience diagnostic delays. In this study with four National Health Service (NHS) NSS cancer pathways teams, researchers identified distinct functions of the team, clustered in pre-testing assessment and information gathering and post-testing interpretation and management. There was wide variation between the sites in referral processing, patient coordination, team communication, and follow up.