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Research suggests that general practitioners should consider laryngeal cancer when patients report persistent sore throat, especially when they are badociated with other apparently low-intensity symptoms.
A study involving more than 800 patients with laryngeal cancer revealed more than 5% cancer risk due to persistent sore throat, badociated with shortness of breath, swallowing problems or headaches. ;hear.
This compares with a risk of 2.7% for a sore throat alone.
The research aims to facilitate the early detection of cancer, which is essential to obtain the best survival rates and the best results for the health of patients.
Currently, guidelines from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommend looking for persistent hoarseness or unexplained neck size.
The new research from Exeter University gives a better overview of the symptom combinations that general practitioners should be vigilant when they decide who should be the object of a search for cancer.
Professor Willie Hamilton, one of the authors of the study, said, "This research is important: when the Nice guidelines for cancer research were published, there is no indication that the practices of general practitioners have guided or informed them.
"Crucially, hoarseness serious enough to be reported to general practitioners deserves investigation.
"In addition, our research has shown the potential severity of certain combinations of symptoms previously considered low risk."
The research was conducted using patient records from more than 600 GP practices as part of the UK Clinical Practice Research Database.
Each year, more than 1,700 people were diagnosed with laryngeal cancer and 80% of them were men.
Figures have increased by almost a third over the last 20 years, with tobacco and alcohol consumption being strongly linked to the disease.
Dr. Elizabeth Shephard, lead author, said, "The UK cancer survival rate is still far behind the rest of Europe, although our research is part of a body of work that lead to significant improvements.
"There is still some way to go and the results of this study really highlight the need to improve current recommendations for all head and neck cancers, whether they are incomplete or absent."
The study, entitled Recognizing Laryngeal Cancer in Primary Care: A Case-Control Study Using Electronic Records, is published in the British Journal of General Practice.
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