Two women from North Wales have praised a specialist hospital service that helped ease their anxiety while investigating symptoms that could have indicated cancer.

Fay Corfe, from St Asaph, and June Howatson, from Denbigh, say the Rapid Diagnosis Clinic at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board helped them get answers quickly, at a time when uncertainty about their health was causing concern.

The half-day clinics are designed for people who have vague or unexplained symptoms which may indicate a risk of cancer. Patients are referred by their GP and can undergo a range of investigations, including CT scans, physical examinations and further tests where necessary.

Symptoms can include unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and fatigue. Around half of people diagnosed with cancer experience symptoms of this kind, although only around seven per cent of patients referred to rapid diagnosis clinics are ultimately found to have cancer.

The service aims to speed up investigations and reduce the time patients spend waiting to find out what might be wrong.

Nicky Grayston, a clinical nurse specialist at the Rapid Diagnosis Clinic, said early cancer diagnosis was important, but the service also provided reassurance for people whose tests did not lead to a cancer diagnosis.

She said patients had spoken about how a quicker assessment helped reduce the prolonged stress, worry and upset associated with waiting for answers.

Fay, who has a history of thyroid cancer and other health conditions, was referred after experiencing unexplained weight loss.

She said she and her husband Michael were welcomed by the clinic team almost immediately after arriving at Glan Clwyd Hospital, where she underwent a CT scan on the same day.

The couple had been advised to bring something to eat while they waited, but Fay said the experience had been reassuring, with staff keeping them informed throughout.

“From start to finish, it was marvellous, it really was,” she said. “They were so incredibly courteous, communicative, professional.”

Although the initial results did not provide a definitive explanation for her symptoms, Fay said the investigations had ruled out other cancers. She was subsequently booked in for a colonoscopy as a precaution and heard from a consultant soon after her clinic visit.

She admitted she had been apprehensive before attending, with her blood pressure rising because of her anxiety.

For Fay, knowing that the tests had been carried out and that further investigations were planned helped ease some of that uncertainty.

June, from Denbigh, was referred after routine blood tests raised concerns for her GP, despite her not experiencing any obvious symptoms.

She has Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition involving changes to the cells lining the oesophagus, or food pipe. In a small proportion of people, it can develop into oesophageal cancer.

Following further blood tests, June was referred to the Rapid Diagnosis Clinic in December. She underwent a series of investigations, including a chest X-ray, before being invited for a CT scan in January.

June said the speed of the process had surprised her. While she was speaking to a doctor, the scan results became available and she was told there was no evidence of cancer.

“I was amazed. It happened so quickly. It was brilliant. And the nurses were great,” she said.

She also praised the wider clinic team, including reception staff, for taking the time to talk to patients who were worried about what their results might show.

June will need further tests, but said she was relieved that the investigations had not resulted in a cancer diagnosis.

The Rapid Diagnosis Clinic operates across the health board’s three acute hospital sites, with most patients undergoing a CT scan covering the chest, abdomen and pelvis. At Glan Clwyd Hospital, the neck is also included in the scan.

While not every patient receives an immediate or definitive answer, the service is intended to bring investigations together more quickly and ensure that further tests or specialist appointments can be arranged where needed.

For Fay and June, the experience highlights the importance of not only investigating potentially serious symptoms promptly, but also keeping patients informed and supported during what can be an anxious time.