Computerized tomography scans, or CT scans, do not improve cancer detection rates, or shorten the time to diagnosis, in patients with unexplained blood clots in the lungs or legs. Previous studies suggest that up to 10 per cent of patients suffering from venous thromboembolism, blood clots in the lungs or legs, will be diagnosed with cancer within one year.
Researchers studied 854 patients suffering from unexplained blood clots. They split the patients into a control group who only received typical cancer screening and a test group who received the typical tests in addition to CT scans of the pelvis and abdomen.
After a one-year follow-up the researchers found that 14 patients in the control group and 19 patients in test group received a cancer diagnosis.
Original research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine on June 22, 2015.
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