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...
Thursday 25th June 2020 Dr Ben Noble’s RCGP award-winning Cancer Maps is a popular interactive reference tool for GPs based on the NICE NG12 guideline; primarily, the tool is designed to be used during consultations to help clinicians assess possible cancer symptoms....
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: There has been a significant reduction in suspected cancer referrals during the COVID-19 crisis. Yet, lung cancer is a major cause of premature death in the UK. Clinician’s must identify those at risk of lung cancer and investigate when appropriate,...
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 pain which is attributable to a simple bone metastasis.
Helpful hint:
Lung, prostate, renal and breast cancer can commonly spread to the spine. GPs with any suspicion of MSCC should send the patient to a local facility (A&E or a medical assessment unit) for assessment and an urgent MRI scan.
Red flags include:
Cancer Keys are brought to you by GatewayC.
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Access GatewayC’s ‘Lung Cancer – End of Life’ course here
Read NICE ‘s guidance on metastatic spinal cord compression in adults here