Denker et al listed findings associated with a "gut feeling" of cancer for a general practitioner. These often trigger a work-up or referral. The authors are from Sentinel Practices Utrecht and VU Medical Center in the Netherlands.
Triggers:
(1) weight loss
(2) rare visits to the GP
(3) duration of complaints
(4) palpable tumor
(5) patient's appearance
(6) abnormal test results
(7) medical history
(8) pain
(9) smoking
(10) jaundice
(11) family medical history
The 2 findings with the highest rate of cancer were palpable tumor (48%) and abnormal test results (42%). The remaining findings ranged from 25 to 39%.
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