European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology
-
Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol · Jan 2020
Identification of upper gastrointestinal malignancy in patients with uncomplicated dyspepsia referred under the two-week-wait cancer pathway: a single-centre, 10-year experience.
In the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2015 guidance recommend that for suspected gastric or oesophageal cancer, general practitioners consider a non-urgent, direct-access endoscopy in patients over 55 years with only uncomplicated treatment-resistant dyspepsia. In practice, patients are referred under the urgent 2-week-wait cancer pathway. ⋯ Dyspepsia as a parameter to investigate gastric or oesophageal cancer contributes significantly to the growth in number of 2-week-wait referrals at a time when endoscopy units battle to meet demand. Our data show patients with uncomplicated dyspepsia rarely have gastric or oesophageal cancer and should not undergo endoscopies under the urgent 2-week-wait pathway.