CANVASS is a study that will reduce the lengthy 8.5-year delay in identifying axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) in the UK. AxSpA is a chronic condition causing pain and stiffness in the spine (backbone) and pelvis. It affects 1 in 200 people, with symptoms starting in the late teens to early twenties. Left untreated, AxSpA can cause the spine to become permanently misshapen and require expensive medications and surgery to treat.
The lack of conclusive tests and the early age at which the illness starts, means AxSpA is often misdiagnosed as back pain, resulting in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Correct diagnosis requires hospital doctors (specialists) and is guided by special scans called Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which not all hospitals can offer. Accessing these services takes time and GPs often have difficulty arranging for patients to be seen by specialists due to a lack of clear referral pathways. Feedback from AxSpA patients highlighted that diagnostic delay and misdiagnosis were important issues to address due to the detrimental impact on the quality of life, increased treatment burden and loss of employment opportunities.