Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29632003›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2018

Abdominal symptoms and cancer in the abdomen: prospective cohort study in European primary care.

Knut Holtedahl, Peter Hjertholm, Lars Borgquist, Gé A Donker, Frank Buntinx, David Weller, Tonje Braaten, Jörgen Månsson, Eva Lena Strandberg, Christine Campbell and 2 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.5field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

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  6. Underlying cancer risk among patients with fatigue and other vague symptoms: a population-based cohort study in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Knut HoltedahlDepartment of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway.
Peter HjertholmResearch Centre for Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Lars BorgquistDepartment of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University, Sweden.
Gé A DonkerSentinel Practices, NIVEL Primary Care Database, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Frank BuntinxDepartment of General Practice, KU Leuven, Belgium, and Maastricht University, the Netherlands.
David WellerUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Medical Informatics, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Tonje BraatenDepartment of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway.
Jörgen MånssonDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine/Primary Health Care, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Eva Lena StrandbergDepartment of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Sweden.
Christine CampbellUsher Institute of Population Health Sciences and Medical Informatics, University of Edinburgh, UK.
Joke C KorevaarSentinel Practices, NIVEL Primary Care Database, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Ranjan ParajuliDepartment of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway.
UiT The Arctic University of Norway · NONetherlands Institute for Health Services Research · NLLinköping University · SELund University · SEUniversity of Gothenburg · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDifferent abdominal symptoms may signal cancer, but their role is unclear.

aimTo examine associations between abdominal symptoms and subsequent cancer diagnosed in the abdominal region. DESIGN AND

settingProspective cohort study comprising 493 GPs from surgeries in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

methodOver a 10-day period, the GPs recorded consecutive consultations and noted: patients who presented with abdominal symptoms pre-specified on the registration form; additional data on non-specific symptoms; and features of the consultation. Eight months later, data on all cancer diagnoses among all study patients in the participating general practices were requested from the GPs.

resultsConsultations with 61 802 patients were recorded and abdominal symptoms were documented in 6264 (10.1%) patients. Malignancy, both abdominal and non-abdominal, was subsequently diagnosed in 511 patients (0.8%). Among patients with a new cancer in the abdomen (

conclusionsA patient with undiagnosed cancer may present with symptoms or no symptoms. Irregular bleeding must always be explained. Abdominal pain occurs with all types of abdominal cancer and several symptoms may signal colorectal cancer. The findings are important as they influence how GPs think and act, and how they can contribute to an earlier diagnosis of cancer.

Indexed as

Early Detection of CancerPrimary Health CareReferral and ConsultationAbdominal NeoplasmsAbdominal PainAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overBelgiumDenmarkFemaleGastrointestinal HemorrhageHematuriaHumansMalecancerearly diagnosisgeneral practiceproportional hazard modelssymptoms

Identifiers

PMID29632003
PMCPMC5916077
OpenAlexW2797696021

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.