Scottish cancer patient experience survey 2015-2016: exploring differences in patient experiences

Tumour Group

Respondents were grouped based on where the cancer started in the body. Tumour groups with too small a sample size, such as brain and sarcoma, were combined into an ‘Other’ category. Those with a Breast tumour were used as the reference group here as they were the largest group in the sample.

A respondent’s tumour group was significant for 25 out of the 47 questions analysed – made up of a mix of 12 questions more positive for at least one tumour group and 16 questions more negative for at least one tumour group. This mix may, at least in part, be due to the fact that the ease of identification and treatment required will vary according to the type of cancer an individual has.

Figure 2 shows that, compared to those with Breast tumours:

• people with Urological tumours are more negative for the most questions (11), followed by those with Upper GI (9) and Lower GI (8) tumours;
• people with Haematological tumours are more positive for the most questions (11) followed by those with Lower GI(7) and Lung (6) tumours.

Figure 2: No. of questions affected by tumour group when compared to those with Breast tumours

Looking at the different sections of the questionnaire we can see some patterns:

• Compared to those with a Breast tumour, people with other types of cancer were generally more negative about their cancer diagnosis – particularly people diagnosed with Urological and Prostate tumours. Only one question was responded to more positively (by people with Skin, Prostate and Haematological tumours) and one had a mix of both (more positive for people with Lower GI and Prostate tumours; more negative for those with Haematological tumours).
• On the other hand, people tended to be more positive about Deciding on Treatment when compared to experiences for people with a Breast tumour, particularly for those with Haematological, Lung and Lower GI tumours.
• The section on Support for People with Cancer contained three questions – one was more negative and two had a mix of being more negative and more positive for people with different tumour types. Those with Urological tumours were more negative for all three questions in this section.
• Inpatient Care was the section with the most questions but the responses for half of them showed no significant difference between tumour groups. Of the half that showed a significant difference, people with Breast Cancer were generally the most positive about their experiences. Only one question was answered more positively by people with other types of cancer and the others were all more negative, particularly for those with Upper GI and Lower GI tumours.
• Half of the questions on Outpatient Care (including radiotherapy and chemotherapy) were responded to more positively when comparing to those with a Breast tumour, particularly for people with Haematological tumours. The other half showed no significant difference.
• A question asking whether anyone had discussed taking part in cancer research with them since their diagnosis was more negative for those with Skin, Head & Neck and Gynaecological tumours compared to response from people with a Breast tumour.
• Questions about Clinical Nurse Specialists, Operations, Home & GP Care and Overall Care showed no significant difference between people with different tumour types compared to those with a Breast tumour.

The national report looked at the statistically significant differences between tumour groups in isolation. Both sets of analysis show similar patterns with variation across tumour groups, however the analysis discussed in this report gives a fuller picture by including additional factors that may affect a person’s experience.