A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham, has found that young people suffering from certain types of cancer, such as bone tumours, are experiencing lengthy times to diagnosis.

The Childhood Cancer Diagnosis Study, which is published in the Lancet Regional Health - Europe, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Childhood cancer has been declared a global disease burden, with early diagnosis a priority. The aim of this study was to help researchers understand the journey that children and young people experience from the start of their symptoms until they receive their cancer diagnosis.

To do this, the team of researchers, led by Dr Shaarna Shanmugavadivel, Professor Shalini Ojha and Professor David Walker from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, collected the data of 1,957 children and young people (aged 0-18 years) diagnosed with cancer between September 2020 and March 2023.

This study examined long‑term shifts toward focused practice among family physicians in Ontario, Canada, as well as changes in the number of comprehensive family physicians relative to population growth.