Reviewed: 19 July 2005
Letter of Referral Pathology Reports: - Needle biopsy
- Bronchoscopy
- Mediastinoscopy
- Thoracotomy
- Any other diagnostic procedure where a biopsy is taken
Operative Reports: - Bronchoscopy
- Mediastinoscopy
- Thoracotomy
Diagnostic Imaging Reports: - All relevant chest radiographs
- Thoracic and any other CT scans
- Bone scans
- Any other relevant diagnostic imaging
Other Information: - Any relevant consultation reports
- Detailed information on any previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy of current malignancy
- Information on previous malignancies
- Information on co-existing medical conditions and allergies
Tertiary Triage Criteria Patients not previously seen at an Agency facility may be referred to a cancer centre for consultation and management by contacting the Admitting Department of the geographically appropriate centre. The availability of relevant operative, pathology, and imaging laboratory reports will be requested so that these can be obtained prior to the patient being seen, together with the relevant slides and radiographs for review. Reports concerning patients not previously seen at BCCA should be sent to the attention of the Admitting Department to avoid reports being delayed in the Cancer Registry.
The courtesy of a brief referring letter is appreciated. In many situations, it may be preferable to phone a Radiation or Medical Oncologist for discussion and to ensure that the most appropriate arrangements are made: such situations include patients requiring urgent diagnosis or treatment, possible candidates for clinical trials, and where the value of referral is unclear. It is not necessary to have a complete evaluation before making contact, and delay whilst symptoms are evolving quickly should be avoided.
It is the policy of the group to encourage referral of cases where the best course of action is unclear; every effort will be made to inform the referring and Family Physicians of any recommendations. The Lung Tumour Group at the Vancouver Cancer Centre meets weekly to discuss problem cases at Lung Conference (Wednesday at 4:00 PM). The conference is particularly useful for review of physical findings, pathology, and radiology, and where an interdisciplinary opinion is needed.
