Routine blood tests and probability of cancer in patients referred with non-specific serious symptoms: a cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Danish cancer patients have lower survival rates than patients in many other western countries. Half of the patients present with non-alarm symptoms and thus have a long diagnostic pathway. Consequently, an urgent referral pathway for patients with non-specific serious symptoms was implemented throughout Denmark in 2011-2012. As part of the diagnostic workup, a panel of blood tests are performed for all patients referred by their general practitioner (GP) to the urgent referral pathway. In this study, we analysed the probability of being diagnosed with cancer in GP-referred patients with abnormal blood test results.

Method

We performed a cohort study that included all patients aged 18 years or older referred by their GP to Silkeborg Regional Hospital for analysis

SUBMITTER: Næser E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5715646 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature