Promoting prompt help-seeking for symptoms - assessing the impact of a gynaecological cancer leaflet on presentations to primary care: a record-based randomised control trial.

Open access data set for this study.

Gynaecological cancers have a combined incidence in women second only to breast cancer in the UK. Evidence
shows that earlier diagnosis could reduce the survival gap between England and the European average. An
information leaflet detailing the symptoms of gynaecological cancers and encouraging women to present to their GP
has been developed. It aims to increase awareness and reduce help-seeking barriers, with the goal of reducing delay
in presentation for gynaecological cancers. This study, funded by the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis
Initiative, evaluated the impact of sending this leaflet to women through their GP, on consultation rates, use of
diagnostic tests and referral rates. This project aimed to extend a similar project being undertaken in London by Dr Alice
Simons and colleagues (REC approval reference: 12/EE/0231). The Northamptonshire study will provide a
geographical comparison to the London study, and will also include a control arm as a further methodological
development.

Women aged 40 years and over will be identified from the lists of approximately 5 GP practices and mailed the leaflet
with a cover letter from their GP. Patients on the palliative care, mental health or oncology registers will be excluded.
After the leaflet is sent out, we will monitor any changes in attendance rates, relevant investigations ordered and
referrals made in the six months following, and compare this to a similar period in the previous year. Women will not
be approached during this study, but rather the outcome data will be collected and collated in anonymised form from
the practice databases.
A62.