Risk of cancer following primary care presentation with fatigue
Prof. Giorgios Lyratzopoulos
Analysis of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink in England found an increased risk of cancer following primary care presentation with fatigue. The 12-month cancer risk exceeded 3% in men aged 65 and over and women aged 80 and over, and 6% in men aged 80 and over. Cancer risk was at least two-fold greater than that of the general population in men across all age groups, and from 1.5- to 1.7-fold greate than that of the general population in women aged 60 years and older. Nearly half (47%) of cancer were diagnosed within 3 months from first fatigue presentation. Site-specific cancer risk was higher than in the general population for most cancers studied, with greatest relative increases for leukemia, pancreatic, and brain cancers.
