A Cancer Detection Flow Sheet

To the Editor:—  Early detection of cancer enhances its curability. In this era of subspecialization, proper and complete screening of the patient for malignancy is made difficult when visits to the clinic or private physician are few and to different medical disciplines each time. This problem might be partially remedied if a cancer detection flow sheet accompanied the patient's clinic or private chart. This would be a readily accessible documentation of routine historical, physical, and laboratory tests which, in present practice, are scattered sporadically throughout a patient's record.A sample "Cancer Detection Flow Sheet" is shown (Figure). Historical, physical, and laboratory data are grouped together. Any symptom, sign, or laboratory test that the physician desires to follow, can be added to the flow sheet. A space is provided for expansion of questionable or abnormal findings.Both the clinic and private physician might find this method useful, while their patients find