(P 151) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT OF A PRIMARY CARE SARCOMA EDUCATION MODULE FOR ENGLAND AND WALES

Objective: Patients often report that the biggest delay to their diagnosis is repeated visits to primary care physicians, who doesn’t recognise their symptoms of being a potential sarcoma. Data from the UK National Sarcoma Survey in 2020 revealed that a third of all sarcoma patients see a GP more than 3 times before they are referred for further tests, and 1 in 3 patients waited at least six months after first consulting a healthcare professional before receiving an accurate diagnosis. The later sarcoma is diagnosed, the fewer options available for treatment and the higher the chance of that treatment not working. In our policy report, Delays Cost Lives, Sarcoma UK called for an education programme for medical professionals to help improve these statistics.

Methods: Sarcoma UK worked with GatewayC, a free online cancer education platform, to develop a module to educate GPs in England and Wales on the signs and symptoms of sarcoma in the hope to improve early diagnosis, increase sarcoma survival, and enhance patient experience. This involved collaborative development of content through engagement with people affected by sarcoma, sarcoma specialists and primary care physicians. The development of course content included reviews of National guidelines and statistics on sarcoma, summarising details on referral pathways and developing patient case studies to help highlight typical presentations of sarcoma.

Results: The course was developed and is now hosted by GatewayC and aims to support GPs and primary care professionals in recognising the symptoms of sarcoma, as well as to improve confidence in decision-making regarding referrals on a suspected cancer pathway. The course features interviews with sarcoma specialists and patients themselves. To the end of June 2023, 297 primary care physicians have completed the module, and at launch it was the third most popular course on the platform.

Conclusion: Improving education on sarcoma for primary care physicians is consistently highlighted as a priority for both sarcoma patients and specialist clinicians. The launch of a new sarcoma education module in England and Wales enabled 297 primary care professionals to gain knowledge of sarcoma symptoms and referral pathways in 2022, and it is hoped that other Nations within the UK and Internationally could follow this model.