Healthcare use in the year preceding a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer: a register-based cohort study in Denmark

OBJECTIVE: To describe the use of healthcare prior to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in Denmark. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study using prospectively recorded data from Danish National Health Registries. SETTING: Danish general practice and hospitals. SUBJECTS: A total of 5926 patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012–2018 and 59,260 matched references without pancreatic cancer from the Danish general population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The monthly frequency of healthcare use (contacts and tests in general practice and contacts and diagnostic investigations in hospitals) during the 12 months preceding the pancreatic cancer diagnosis and a corresponding index date assigned to the references. RESULTS: Compared to the references, the patients had increased contacts and diagnostic tests, especially blood glucose testing, in general practice from 7 to 12 months before diagnosis. Hospital contacts and diagnostic imaging increased from 5 months before the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: KEY POINTS: Pancreatic cancer is a rapidly progressing and highly lethal disease. Focus on early diagnosis is essential to improve the prognosis. Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of healthcare contacts from 7 months before the diagnosis. Patients with pancreatic cancer had increased number of blood glucose tests taken throughout almost the entire year before the diagnosis. The results may indicate that a window of opportunity exists to diagnose pancreatic cancer earlier.