Are there gender differences in survival and the use of primary care prior to diagnosis of non sex-specific cancers: an analysis of routinely collected UK general practice data?

Abstract

Background In the UK, men are at greater risk of being diagnosed with, and dying from, non-sex specific cancers. Explanations include differences in health behaviours and in health service use prior to diagnosis. If gender differences in consulting are important in explaining differences in mortality, we would expect men to consult primary care services less, and that they would consult later (ie have poorer survival post-diagnosis) with symptoms of common cancers. We use routinely collected data to explore whether there …