Rapid diagnostic clinic

The rapid diagnostic clinic is a non-site specific cancer pathway to refer patients presenting with symptoms that are vague but may be due to cancer.

This includes patients who:

• do not meet the criteria for a site-specific pathway, or
• fit multiple suspected cancer pathways

Before referral

Your patient should have had some of the following triage tests within the last 3 months:

• full blood count (and haematinics if abnormal)
• inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• kidney function blood test
• liver function test and bone profile
• thyroid function tests (TFT) and HbA1C
• cancer antigen 125 (CA125) or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
• faecal immunochemical test (FIT) (if the patient has gastrointestinal symptoms or anaemia)
• HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C

Referral criteria

We're unable to see bedbound and immobile patients at our clinic and cannot provide home visits.

We accept referrals for patients who are 40 years or over, and have 1 or more of the following new, unexplained symptoms:

• unintentional weight loss (more than 5% recorded weight or clearly reported by the patient or carer) within the last 3 months
• non-specific abdominal pain or symptoms lasting more than 4 weeks (which do not meet the criteria for an urgent suspected cancer referral pathway)
• fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, malaise, and/or bloating lasting more than 4 weeks 
• persistent and worsening unexplained pain (especially back pain), with concern for cancer
• persistently abnormal laboratory/blood test results (tested on at least 2 occasions) that are not readily explained, including:
  • alkaline phosphatase(more than twice the upper limit of normal
  • raised CRP and/or ESR, with no obvious infection or likelihood of PMR
  • increased corrected calcium (please rule out hyperparathyroidism)
  • Thrombocytosis (consider LEGO-C cancers and refer to site specific pathway if appropriate)
• abnormal radiology suggestive of malignancy in a patient without a known cancer diagnosis in the last 5 years

Referral triage

Please include a summary care record and as much detail about the reason for referral.

All referrals are read by a clinician to check they are suitable for the service.

If we accept your referral we'll contact you to arrange an appointment.

If we think your referral is best suited to another team, we may redirect you.

Urgent referrals

Please use Consultant Connect or email us if you need referral advice or want to speed up a referral for a patient with a high suspicion of cancer.