The Swedish Standardized Course of Care—Diagnostic Efficacy in Esophageal and Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Fast-track pathways for diagnosing esophageal or gastric cancer (EGC) have been implemented in several European countries. In Sweden, symptoms such as dysphagia, early satiety, and other alarm symptoms call for a referral for gastroscopy, according to the Swedish Standardized Course of Care (SCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of the SCC criteria for EGC, to review all known EGC cases in Region Örebro County between March 2017 and February 2021, and to compare referral indication(s), waiting times, and tumor stage. In our material, EGC was found in 6.2% of the SCC referrals. Esophageal dysphagia had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 5.6%. The criterion with the highest PPV for EGC was suspicious radiological findings, with a PPV of 24.5%. A total of 139 EGCs were diagnosed, 99 (71%) through other pathways than via the SCC. Waiting times were approximately 14 days longer for patients evaluated via non-SCC pathways. There was no statistically significant association between referral pathway and primary tumor characteristics. The results show that a majority of the current SCC criteria are poor predictors of EGC, and some alarm symptoms lack a sufficiently specific definition, e.g., dysphagia. Referral through this fast track does not seem to have a positive impact on disease outcomes.