Time to haematologist visit and non-haematological referral from primary healthcare during blood cancer diagnosis - findings from a large national survey in Australia

Sep 22, 2026

Blood cancers are the third most common cancer in Australia, yet their diagnostic pathway in the Australian setting remains insufficiently understood. This study evaluates the interval from first primary health care (PHC) contact to the first haematologist visit, and the occurrence of referrals to specialists other than haematologists during blood cancer diagnoses. Using an online national survey of patients diagnosed between October and November 2022, logistic regression tests identify sociodemographic and cancer-type factors linked to longer intervals and non-haematological referral patterns.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

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Talukder et al. BMC Cancer (2026) 26:300 BMC Cancer [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-026-15757-1](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-026-15757-1) RESEARCH Open Access Time to haematologist visit and non- haematological referral from primary healthcare during blood cancer diagnosis – findings from a large national survey in Australia Mohammad Radwanur Talukder1,2,3*, Emily Kovacev1, Bill Stavreski1 and Sarah DeLacey1 Abstract Background Blood cancers are the third most common cancer in Australia. However, little is known about their diagnostic pathway in the Australian context. This research aimed to assess the interval between first primary health care (PHC) contact and first haematologist visit, and referrals to specialists other than haematologists (nonhaematological referrals) during blood cancer diagnoses. Methods An online national survey was conducted with patients living with blood cancers, such as leukaemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) between October and November 2022. Univariate and adjusted logistic regression models were applied to examine sociodemographic factors (age, sex, income, residence location, country of birth, private health insurance) and typeof blood cancers associated with extended PHC-haematologist visit intervals (> 1-month) and non-haematological referrals. Results Of the total 1758 participants, 26 . 3%(95% CI 24. 3, 28 .4%) patients experienced an extended PHChaematologist visit interval (> 1-month) and of 1749 participants, 24 . 8%(95% CI 22. 8, 26 . 9%) patients experienced non-haematological referrals during their diagnosis stage. Women were more likely to report an extended PHChaematologist visit interval (adjusted odds ratio aOR 1. 38, 95% CI 1. 10, 1. 73) or non-haematological referrals (aOR 1.42, 95%CI 1. 12, 1. 80) . Regional Australians (aOR 1. 37, 95%CI 1. 08, 1. 73) were more likely to experience an extended PHC-haematologist visit interval, but the odds of non-haematological referrals was not significant for them. Being older (≥ 65 years) (aOR 0 . 59, 95% CI 0. 36, 0 . 97) and overseas-born (aOR 0 . 73, 95%CI 0. 54, 0 . 99) were associated with a lower likelihood of non-haematological referrals. Private insurance holders (aOR 1. 19, 95% CI 1. 05, 1. 35) were also more likely to have specialist referrals other than haematologists. Patients with an indolent type of blood cancers, such as lymphomas, multiple myeloma and MDS, are more likely to experience an extended PHC-haematologist visit interval or non-haematological referrals. *Correspondence: Mohammad Radwanur Talukder [mohammad.talukder@uu.se](mohammad.talukder@uu.se); [radwan.talukder@sahmri.com](radwan.talukder@sahmri.com) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.) Talukder et al. BMC Cancer (2026) 26:300 Page 2 of 11 Conclusions A multi-pronged approach, including raising awareness of blood cancer signs and symptoms among both patients and health care profes

FAQs

What does the study measure during blood cancer diagnosis?

It measures the time interval between first primary health care (PHC) contact and the first haematologist visit, and it assesses referrals to specialists other than haematologists (non-haematological referrals).

How was the research conducted?

An online national survey was administered to patients living with blood cancers diagnosed between October and November 2022, followed by univariate and adjusted logistic regression analyses of sociodemographic and cancer-type factors.

Which groups were more likely to experience extended PHC-to-haematologist intervals or non-haematological referrals?

Women were more likely to report extended PHC-haematologist visit intervals and non-haematological referrals. Regional Australians showed higher odds for extended intervals, while patients with indolent blood cancer types were more likely to experience either outcome.

Sep 22, 2026

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