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British Journal of Cancer (2009) 101, S1 S4& 2009 Cancer Research UK All rights reserved 0007 0920/09 $32.00
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Introduction
The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative in England: assembling the evidence
One of the key commitments of the Cancer Reform Strategy (2007) (Department of Health, 2007) in England was to establish a National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI). This initiative was launched in November 2008 and is co-led by the Department of Health and Cancer Research UK, with involvement of a wide range of other stakeholders, including the research community. The Cancer Reform Strategy recognised that excellent progress had been made on early detection of cancer through screening, but more needs to be done to promote early diagnosis in the large majority of patients who present with symptoms.
Members of the NAEDI steering group have identified multiple strands of evidence linking the poor cancer survival rates observed in the United Kingdom in the EUROCARE studies (Sant et al, 2003, 2009; Berrino et al, 2007) to advanced stage at diagnosis and to delays occurring between the onset of symptoms and the start of treatment. However, the evidence base is complex and is still incomplete.
The aim of this supplement to the British Journal of Cancer is to bring together as many of these strands as possible and to present new evidence relevant to NAEDI. It is hoped that this will inform both the future research agenda and the actions of policy makers and commissioners at national and local levels.
THE NAEDI PATHWAYTo assist thinking about the issues related to late diagnosis of cancer, members of the NAEDI steering group have adopted a provisional NAEDI pathway (Figure 1). This should provide a framework for testing various hypotheses regarding late diagnosis and its impact. The first step in the pathway proposes that low
MA Richards*,11National Cancer Action Team, St Thomas Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1 7EH, UK
A National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) has been established in England as part of the Governments strategy to improve cancer outcomes. One of the early priorities for this initiative has been to assemble the diverse evidence linking late diagnosis with poor survival and avoidable deaths. This supplement brings together new perspectives on existing...