I would like to thank the authors for a concise article, highlighting the importance of safety netting and symptom assessment along a cancer diagnostic journey.1
There is a complementary aspect to this learning — interpreting a positive test result when assessing cancer risk. One of the authors has highlighted elsewhere2 that ‘Of women with CA125 levels above the current abnormal cut-off, 10.1% were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and a further 12.3% with another form of cancer.’
Thus, pre-test probability probably needs to be considered in a wider context, at different points of establishing a diagnosis. The paper by Funston et al is a very helpful addition to this editorial, especially in a teaching context for trainers and trainees.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2021