Approach to Staging and Monitoring Jeffrey W. Clark Staging and monitoring are essential components of cancer management. Staging is performed to assess the extent of disease, and it is used…

Approach to the Patient with Cancer of Unknown Origin Jeffrey W. Clark A malignancy is designated as a cancer of unknown primary (i.e., CUP) after meeting several criteria: (a) a…

Approach to the Patient with Lymphoma Jeremy S. Abramson The lymphomas are a diverse group of malignancies arising from B and T lymphocytes and are generally categorized as either Hodgkin…

Outpatient Oral Anticoagulant Therapy Elaine M. Hylek The options for oral anticoagulant therapy have expanded dramatically in recent years with the advent of direct factor × and Xa inhibitors now…

Management of Common Anemias Anemia is prevalent throughout the population and occurs in all age groups, but it is especially common in the elderly (11% in noninstitutionalized persons greater than…

Evaluation of Bleeding Problems and Abnormal Bleeding Studies The problems of bleeding encountered in the office setting range from abnormal results on screening studies to easy bruising, petechial rashes, and…

Evaluation of Erythrocytosis (Polycythemia) When an elevated red cell count, hemoglobin concentration, or hematocrit occurs unexpectedly, it raises the question of polycythemia, a term used to denote an absolute increase…

Evaluation of Anemia In most instances, the office presentation of anemia is incidental, with no obvious cause and no hemodynamic compromise. Because anemia is not a diagnosis, its appearance necessitates…

Screening for Sickle Cell Disease and Sickle Cell Trait Sickle cell disease is the most common of the clinically significant hemoglobinopathies. In the United States, the disease and trait occur…

Screening for Anemia Anemia is a sign of illness rather than a diagnosis in itself. The incidental finding of a low hematocrit or hemoglobin level suggests a host of underlying…