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...
Friday 4th September 2020 It’s World Leukaemia Day today. Are you confident in spotting the early signs of Leukaemia? Why not brush up on your knowledge and complete our free online Acute Leukaemia – Early Diagnosis and Chronic Leukaemia – Early Diagnosis courses...
Potential pitfall: Overlapping lung cancer and COVID-19 symptoms means that the message to patients about early diagnosis is negated by the messages necessary to control the COVID pandemic. Helpful hint: Consider the following action if a patient presents with...
Potential pitfall: Metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC) is a medical emergency which can result in paralysis. Many patients living with cancer have pain; within primary care it can difficult to differentiate between significant pain which may be due to MSCC, and...
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.
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Access GatewayC’s course on early diagnosis of chronic leukaemia here.