Established indications for cancer-related diagnostic work-up and defined time periods
| Colorectal cancer | Time to initiate diagnostic evaluation | Lung cancer | Time to initiate diagnostic evaluation* |
| Confirmed iron deficiency anaemia | 7 days | Blood in sputum/haemoptysis | 7 days |
| Screen positive for faecal occult blood test | 7 days | Hoarseness that lasts more than 2 weeks | 7 days |
| Screen positive for barium enema | 7 days | Recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia | 7 days |
| Abnormal imaging suspicious for colorectal cancer | 7 days | Abnormal chest x-ray | 7 days |
| Haematochezia in the absence of negative colonoscopy within previous 1 year | 7 days | Abnormal chest CT scan | 7 days |
| Suspected rectal or abdominal mass on physical exam | 7 days | Abnormal abdomen CT scan | 7 days |
| Change in bowel habit | 60 days | Serial abnormal imaging | 7 days |
| Due for endoscopic surveillance based on previous test | 90 days | Abnormal sputum examination/sputum cytology | 7 days |
| Obstruction | 7 days | Unexplained effusion | 7 days |
| Microcytic anaemia | 30 days | Clubbing | 7 days |
| New onset Cushing's symptoms/syndrome | 7 days | ||
| New onset of hypercalcaemia symptoms/syndrome | 7 days | ||
| New onset of syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion | 7 days | ||
| Superior vena cava obstruction | 7 days | ||
| Worsening persistent cough/bronchitis OR new description of chronic cough lasting >8 weeks | 7 days | ||
| Provider acknowledged unexplained weight loss or other unexplained weight loss >10 lbs in addition to respiratory symptoms | 7 days |
↵* We also tested a more lenient criteria of 14 days for appropriate diagnostic evaluation (rather than 7 days), but it did not substantially reduce the number of missed opportunities.41