New ‘one stop shops’ designed to speed up cancer diagnosis and help save lives are being rolled out in 10 areas across England as part of NHS England’s drive to improve early diagnosis rates.

Each centre will operate in a different way to ensure they meet the needs of their local communities, but will all work to diagnose cancers early in people who have vague, non-specific symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss, appetite loss or abdominal pain.

If a GP or other healthcare professional suspects cancer, they will now be able to refer to a centre where all the necessary investigations can be done under one roof. Some patients will receive a definitive diagnosis or all clear on the same day, while others will need to undergo further assessment, but can generally expect a diagnosis within two weeks of their first appointment.

Anna Jewell, director of operations at Pancreatic Cancer UK, commented: “We hope that these centres will enable more people with pancreatic cancer to be diagnosed early enough to be eligible for potentially life-saving surgery, or for other treatments which could allow them to live for longer. If successful, these centres must be rolled out across the UK.”