Potential pitfall: In the early course of the disease, pancreatic cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms. However, sudden onset diabetes in groups of patients for whom this would be unexpected can be an early indicator. Helpful hint: NICE NG12 guidelines recommend...
Friday 9th October 2020 Did you miss our free webinar on Lung Cancer vs COVID-19? Watch it here. Most individuals and their families work through the transition into end of life care differently. This means healthcare professionals are often faced with families who...
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...
Eating too many foods that are high in salt such as salted meat, brined fish and pickled vegetables can increase the risk of stomach cancer. Higher rates of stomach cancer are found in countries like Japan and Korea, than in the UK, where these foods are more popular....
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.
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