PLOS Medicine · 17 September 2026 · From issue 38
Blood test trend versus single threshold abnormality to discriminate cancer from non-cancer in patients with unexpected weight loss: A retrospective cohort study
Tracking blood test changes over years spotted cancer better than checking one result alone.
Brian D. Nicholson, Clare R. Bankhead et al.
Doctors often decide whether to test for cancer based on one blood test result. This study looked at more than 275,000 adults who went to the doctor with unexplained weight loss. It compared checking a single test result against tracking how blood test values changed over years. Watching the trend over time, rather than just one result, better separated cancer patients from others for several tests and cancer types.
The best score for telling cancer patients apart from non-cancer patients using blood test trends.
One large UK health record study, needs real-world testing before use.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 6 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (PLOS Medicine). Read the source
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