Table 6. Benign diagnoses in patients referred urgently for suspected lung cancer.
|
Frequency
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Condition | 1999–2000 | 2000–2001 | 2001–2002 |
| Conditions that can usually be managed in primary care | |||
| Infection | 18 | 41 | 83 |
| COPD | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Goitre | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Normal variant | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| ENT cause | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| CCF | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Conditions usually managed by respiratory physicians (or complex) | |||
| Vascular markings | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| TB (old or active) | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Benign lung tumour | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Benign pleural shadows | 5 | 6 | 17 |
| Sarcoidosis | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Benign lung shadow | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| Interstitial lung disease | 4 | 19 | 9 |
| Bronchiectasis | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| Other | 0 | 4 | 13 |
| DNA, died or refused tests | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| No diagnosis | 6 | 3 | 21 |
| Total | 62 | 112 | 218 |
COPD=chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; TB=tuberculosis.