Cancer Diagnoses Often Follow ER Visits

Did you know that one in three people who get cancer end up in the emergency room before they find out? That's right! A team of researchers in Canada dug into this and found that about a third of new cancer patients had visited the ER within three months before their diagnosis. These visits often happened because of symptoms linked to the cancer, like stomach pain for colon cancer or trouble swallowing for throat cancer. The researchers, led by Dr. Keerat Grewal from Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, looked at data from over 650, 000 cancer patients in Ontario from 2014 to 2021. They found that 35% of these patients had been to the ER before their diagnosis. Most of these patients went once, but some went twice or even more. Interestingly, more than half of these ER visitors ended up getting admitted to the hospital. This just shows how serious their symptoms were. The emergency room isn't the best place to find out you might have cancer, though. It's usually crowded and lacks privacy, which can be really stressful for patients. The findings from Canada match what studies in the UK and US have shown. It's important to note that many ER visits happen because of cancer symptoms. So, if you or someone you know has persistent symptoms, it might be a good idea to talk to a healthcare provider.