Tuesday 15th September 2020 It’s World Lymphoma Awareness Day. Why not increase your knowledge and complete our free online Lymphoma – Early Diagnosis course supported by Lymphoma Action? Lymphoma has many non-site specific symptoms and patients can often visit...
Potential pitfall: Faecal calprotectin testing is an incredibly sensitive investigation for detecting the presence of inflammation. It is raised in a wide variety of conditions including malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease and alcohol misuse. It is therefore not...
Whilst dyspepsia is commonplace in general practice, it can sometimes be an indicator of stomach or oesophageal cancers. Potential pitfall: Typically, dyspepsia may be associated with common and less serious triggers such as lifestyle factors or stress. With patients...
Reactive thrombocytosis can be indicator for several underlying causes, which are either self-limiting or serious. These can include infection (e.g. H.pylori), inflammation, blood loss, anaemia and a number of cancers. Helpful hint Depending on the presentation, NICE...
Pancreatic cancer diagnoses can be missed due to the non-site specific nature of some early symptoms. However, according to CRUK, up to 70% of patients with pancreatic cancer initially visit the doctor with upper abdominal or back pain.
Pain often presents in the right upper quadrant (RUQ pain). It can begin as general discomfort, such as pressure under the ribs or pain in the abdomen radiating to the back, similar to a pulled muscle or stomach cramps. Patients may note that sitting forward can sometimes relieve the pain but can worsen when lying down or after eating, especially with fatty foods.
In line with NICE guidelines, the presentation of back or abdominal pain in people aged 60 and over combined with weight loss should be considered for an urgent direct access CT scan to assess for pancreatic cancer (to be performed within 2 weeks), or an urgent ultrasound scan if CT is not available.
Download this Cancer Key here.
Access GatewayC’s course on early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer here.