Friday 2nd October 2020 Did you miss our free webinar on Safety Netting in Primary Care? Watch it here. Mr Malcolm Wilson, Consultant Colorectal, Peritoneal and Pelvic Oncology Surgeon and Clinical Negligence Advisor, commonly sees clinical negligence cases that...
Friday 25th September 2020 Are you seeking to improve your suspected cancer referrals? Our Improving the Quality of Your Referral course aims to assist you with this and covers: Clinical decision making Helping to reduce DNAs Key information to include in a referral...
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...
Potential pitfall: A migraine headache is typically a unilateral, frontal, throbbing headache which may be associated with photophobia or phonophobia. Although the intensity can vary, the characteristics of the headache tend not to change. Helpful hint: The most...
Leukaemia is a cancer that begins in the bone marrow, leading to the over production of white blood cells. This can negatively affect the blood’s platelet count and in turn, impact the blood’s ability to clot.
Many of us experience bruising, with presentation common in groups such as the elderly population (with thinner skin and more fragile tissue), or active young adults or children playing regular sport. However, patients presenting with bruising without a clear cause should be reason for further consideration.
A reduced platelet count caused by leukaemia can reduce a patient’s clotting ability. As a result, they may present with unexplained bruising.
NICE NG12 guidelines advise consider a very urgent full blood count (within 48 hours) to assess for leukaemia in children, young people or adults with unexplained bruising or bleeding.
Download this Cancer Key here.
Access GatewayC’s course on early diagnosis of chronic leukaemia here.