Existing research has shown that comorbidities, which refer to when someone is living with one or more multiple long-term health conditions alongside their cancer diagnosis, may create a barrier within cancer referral pathways. Therefore, patients with comorbidities may get ‘lost’ in the system
This PhD project addresses the impact of comorbid conditions on: cancer patients’ access to specialist cancer treatments; patient safety (especially side-effects); patient experiences (self-reported); and patient-centred outcomes (cancer progression, survival). We are doing this by analysing existing, linked national data sets, including national cancer registry data, radiotherapy and chemotherapy data, and Hospital Episode Statistics.