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Nonspecific abdominal symptoms, such as pain or bloating, are frequently observed in primary care settings, usually with benign causes, but may be indicative of undiagnosed cancer. Patients with these symptoms often undergo routine blood tests that could help identify those at higher risk for cancer, thereby helping to prioritize referrals and determine who can be safely monitored in the primary care setting. Currently, there is little evidence to support the value of abnormal blood tests for cancer risk assessment in patients with these symptoms. In this issue, Meena Rafiq and team evaluate the predictive value of 19 abnormal blood test results for cancer detection in patients presenting with new abdominal pain or bloating.
Image Credit: Karolina Kaboompics on Pexels
Citation: (2024) PLoS Medicine Issue Image | Vol. 21(7) August 2024. PLoS Med 21(7): ev21.i07. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pmed.v21.i07
Published: August 5, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 . This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Nonspecific abdominal symptoms, such as pain or bloating, are frequently observed in primary care settings, usually with benign causes, but may be indicative of undiagnosed cancer. Patients with these symptoms often undergo routine blood tests that could help identify those at higher risk for cancer, thereby helping to prioritize referrals and determine who can be safely monitored in the primary care setting. Currently, there is little evidence to support the value of abnormal blood tests for cancer risk assessment in patients with these symptoms. In this issue, Meena Rafiq and team evaluate the predictive value of 19 abnormal blood test results for cancer detection in patients presenting with new abdominal pain or bloating.
Image Credit: Karolina Kaboompics on Pexels