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    Why Cancer Symptoms May Elude M.D.

    HealthDay – Fri, Feb 24, 2012

    FRIDAY, Feb. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Diagnosing cancer is more difficult in certain groups of patients, according to a British study.

    Researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 41,000 patients with 24 types of cancer who were treated in 158 hospitals across England. They found that 77 percent of those who saw their family doctor about suspicious symptoms were referred to a hospital after only one or two consultations.

    However, the study found that women, young people, non-white patients and patients with less common cancers were more likely to see their family doctor three or more times before they were referred to a hospital.

    The researchers identified large differences in the promptness of family doctors in England to diagnose different types of cancer. Patients with symptoms of multiple myeloma, lung and pancreatic cancer required many more consultations with their family doctor before they were referred to a hospital, compared to patients with more common cancers such as breast, melanoma and testicular.

    For example, almost 51 percent of patients with the blood cancer multiple myeloma required multiple visits to their family doctor before referral, compared with less than 8 percent of breast cancer patients.

    Differences in the nature and characteristics of symptoms may explain why certain cancers are more difficult to diagnose, the researchers said. For example, multiple myeloma is especially difficult to diagnose because it mimics other conditions, while a breast lump may readily suggest cancer, the authors said.

    They also said that doctors may be less likely to consider cancer in younger patients and may have communication difficulties with patients from different ethnic groups, which may explain why cancer diagnoses can take longer in these patients.

    The study appears online Feb. 24 in The Lancet Oncology.

    "These findings highlight limitations in current scientific knowledge," lead author Georgios Lyratzopoulos, of Cambridge University, said in a journal news release. "Medical research in recent decades has prioritized improving cancer treatments, but knowledge about the 'symptom signature' of common cancers and practical solutions on how best to diagnose them is still emerging."

    Martin Guilliford, of King's College London, wrote in an accompanying editorial that the findings raise several questions that should be tested in future research.

    He said some of those questions are: "Do modes of cancer presentation vary systematically between different groups of patients? Are (family doctors) more reluctant to refer young or non-white patients for investigation of possible cancer? Are participants in these groups less willing to accept a referral to investigate possible cancer?"

    More information

    The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about cancer diagnosis and tests.

     

    5 comments

    • _SF- EP_
      _SF- EP_  •  2 mths ago
      Every persons body has a different chemistry, cancers work in different ways and means but they all end up with the same outcome, they kill us. There might not be cures for cancer but early detection is our best defense, your body will send you signals that most time's we ignore.From by own experiance and observation I feel that smoking marijuana help keep us in tune with what's happening with our internal body parts. If we are chronic alcoholic drinkers we tend to ignore these symtoms, and by the time we realize there is a problem it's to late. Stress plays a major role in giving us all sorts of horrible symtoms, even if you don't smoke marijuana or drink alcohol, but for some reason I think that smoking pot opens up our mind to our body and it will tell us if something is wrong. Well at least it did to me when I found out I had cancer, it might work for others as well.
    • Jerome
      Jerome  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      I have a PhD in Chemistry and Biophysics, i taught many pre med doctors in organic chemistry and physics. More than half of the people i taught should never ever have become doctors, these so called doctors have no analytical skills and confuse cause and effect all the time, they always want the quick answer and possess no problem solving skills. My experience with doctors reflects this, half of them really are educated idiots who have less problem solving skills than a good car mechanic. I have had so many doctors try to flim flam me with their ego only to be ridiculed when i call them out on their egocentric statements to me. I don't look like a PhD, so they think i can be deceived into thinking they know what they are talking about, i have embarrassed many a doctor when they realize that i know more about (certain things) than they do and caught them trying to essentially deceive me into thinking they actually have a clue. Trust me, finding a good doctor is the exception rather than the norm.
      • LOUIE
        LOUIE 3 mths ago
        im interested in your comments here. lets say that a nuclear scan showed some suspicious cells around the pancreas. what would your thoughts be on that?
      • Jerome
        Jerome 3 mths ago
        My understanding is nuclear scans use isotopes that are combined with metabolic compounds so there can be an uptake into certain cells, they are often targeted towards cancer cells so they 'can see' where cancer cells are. The problem is specificity, not knowing what is used to help prefer the isotope uptake i can't say, but the caveat is there is the potential for false positive, where the uptake crosses over into non-cancerous cells. Also the word suspicious cells is kind of vague, but if you have a suspicion about something, the next step is to try to confirm that suspicion with a completely different analytical method that identifies what the previous technique suggested.
      • LOUIE
        LOUIE 3 mths ago
        thank you for your suggestion and comments.
    • Scuba Steve
      Scuba Steve  •  3 mths ago
      Why Cancer Symptoms May Elude M.D.?

      Because there is no money in a cure, thats why.
    • Sophie
      Sophie  •  3 mths ago
      Regarding doctors, who would you listen to? Doctors are kind of scary, especially in our current state of medical affairs. So, you need to ask yourself "Who would I would listen to?"
      A lot of people would listen to a Nobel prize winner, and probably more would listen to a 2-TIME Nobel prize winner, and the medical industry (a $1.6 TRILLION industry annually) DOES NOT LIKE THIS, especially when what they say contradicts them. The 2-time Nobel prize winner, for example, said cancer research is a crock.
      I look at the breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate or whatever type of cancer organizations (and there are A LOT of them raking in BILLIONS annually) and realize, "Never again!" If you, too, want to say "Never again" and really want to find out about curing cancer, find out who the other Nobel prize winner, Dr. Schweitzer, called "one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine."
    • HouseDivided
      HouseDivided  •  Concord, North Carolina  •  3 mths ago
      Sad to see you feel this way, Jerome, but you have the right to your own opinion, and I respect that. I believe that the culture in which one practices is a major source of limitation in what one can do as a physician. Whether it is 3rd party payers, incredible burdens of 'production' (i.e. # of pts seen/hr), paperwork fiascos, lack of knowledge re: cultural nuances, lack of access to medical testing (yes, this exists in the USA, too), or a million other things, being a physician is NOT an easy thing to do. Just as in PhDs, there are good candidates and bad. I'm willing to be many of the bad ones get their degree, so the Dept can achieve specific 'production numbers', some can obtain tenure by promoting even undeserving candidates, etc. Healthcare today is an insufferable maze to be travelled. I can only recommend that one be honest with oneself and one's physician. Trust your own instincts and get 2nd opinions. If you feel you are being decieved, get a different doc!

      And Louie, nuclear scans don't show "suspicious cells". They may show areas of enhanced uptake. That, in and of itself is nothing. The whole picture needs to be taken into account, for starters, age/race of individual, pt's history of probs - to include chronic diseases, meds taken, symptoms of pt, what are the chemistry results (AST, ALP, Chem-6, CBC w/ diff, etc), what was found on physical exam...just to name a very few things.
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 3 mths ago
        'or starters, age/race of individual'

        You've just proven why docs overlook women, young patients, non-whites, and those with rare cancers. Because the doc isn't taking into account that these groups CAN and DO get cancers out of the norm. Age and race should NEVER be taken into account as to the possibility of cancer or not for symptoms. The symptoms should be the ONLY thing to take into account as to it possibly being cancer!!

        Plus with women, it's NORMAL for most docs to NEVER to listen to anything the first time around. Also in women, there are far more things that mimic other things that normally occur in women. Abdominal pain??? LOL Could be colon cancer, BUT let's see if it's fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, etc FIRST. A mass?? So.. let's try the pill first and see what happens. Heavy bleeding??? The pill first. Yea, that's how women are treated. After a year, we'll shoot for an ultrasound if it's the same or larger. Never consider that it could be colon or female cancer. It's one reason why women should go to a gynecologist for any and all reproductive exams and regular physical exams or any type of abdominal pain. At least there's a far better chance of being listened to the first time around!! Especially if the gyno is a woman!!
      • Sarah
        Sarah 3 mths ago
        Age, race and gender SHOULD be taken into account during an exam. Certain ethnic groups and age groups can have different conditions. And in medicine, there's an expression: "When you hear hooves, think horses, not zebras." It means that more often than not, it's something benign than can be resolved with medications or observation. Thinking cancer for every single problem would only lead to many expensive and unnecessary procedures.
      • Younger Grandma
        Younger Grandma 2 mths ago
        Sarah, preventative medicine and symptoms of a disease are two different things.

        IE, a woman of 45 should have thyroid hormone testing because women are more likely to have thyroid gland disorders than men. That's preventative medicine without one showing symptoms. Likewise, a man who's 50 and has symptoms should be tested because he HAS symptoms. If a doc doesn't look at the SYMPTOMS, then there will be no diagnosis. The man's symptoms should be looked at without any regard to his age OR that he's a male.

        IE, I'm a woman, a non-smoker, and not quite 50. If I had symptoms of lung cancer, should lung cancer be looked at as a first result due to the symptoms alone or because I'm not in the highest risk groups (male, smoker and over 50), be completely looked over though I presented symptoms???

        Those are two examples of WHY age, sex, or race should NEVER be taken into account when there are already symptoms showing.
     Post a comment
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