Uterine Sarcomas: Identifying barriers to early diagnosis

Uterine sarcoma patients are being diagnosed too late, often after their cancer has already been misdiagnosed as a benign fibroid or a different uterine cancer. This matters because uterine sarcomas are rare, aggressive tumours with poor survival rates, and delays in diagnosis directly reduce a patient’s chances of effective treatment. The problem is that doctors and referral systems currently lack clear, evidence-based steps to distinguish sarcomas from more common conditions early on. This study will analyse real-world NHS data from patients already diagnosed with uterine sarcoma, mapping exactly where in the diagnostic pathway delays and misdiagnoses occur. If the research succeeds, it will pinpoint specific, actionable steps—such as which symptoms should trigger faster imaging referrals or which test results warrant immediate specialist review—that could be targeted by awareness campaigns and clinical guidelines. The practical impact would be a shorter, more accurate diagnostic process for future patients, reducing the number of women who are sent home with a fibroid diagnosis while a sarcoma grows untreated. This is applied health services research with a direct, near-term goal: improving survival by fixing a broken diagnostic pathway.