Abstract
BACKGROUND: Public and professional concern about delays in diagnosis of childhood brain tumours has led to a clinical referral guidelines and the HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the early features of brain tumours and the need for timely imaging. As part of the outcome evaluation, we have collected data on total diagnostic intervals (TDI) i.e. intervals between symptom onset to diagnosis through a national service evaluation. The aims of the project are to (1) report the most recent TDI; and (2) identify the subgroup(s) with the longest symptom interval. METHODS: Paediatric brain tumour cases (aged 0–18 years) diagnosed between June 2014 and May 2015 were identified through a network of HeadSmart clinical champions. Age at diagnosis, dates of first symptom onset, first presentation to healthcare and diagnosis, tumour site, diagnosis were collected thorough an online data collection form. RESULTS: Data of 334 eligible cases, representing over 75% of incident cases in the UK of that year were recorded. TDI showed a right skewed distribution with a 90th percentile of 48 weeks and maximum of 313 weeks. Group median TDI had reduced significantly from 14.4 weeks in 2006, to 9.1 weeks in 2011 at the time HeadSmart was launched, and then to 6.5 weeks in 2015. Stratified analysis showed that there is still a significant difference between age groups. Median TDI is 3.9, 6.6 and 9.9 weeks for children under 5, 5–11 years and 12–18, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These findings justifying a more targeted approach for the awareness campaign. With a rebranded website (www.headsmart.org.uk), new animation, posters to summarise symptom by subspecialty and quick reference guide, we hope to raise the awareness amongst young people aged 12–18 years and general practitioners, and reduce the median TDI further to national target of four weeks.