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Introduction The aim of this study was to survey the attitudes of internists, cardiologists, and pulmonologists regarding treatment or no treatment of isolated subsegmental pulmonary embolism (ISSPE) with anticoagulant drugs. Methods Qualified physicians were asked to select their management options from a questionnaire that included a patient scenario with subsegmental pulmonary embolism (SSPE) and negative past medical history of thromboembolism. Results A total of 113 physicians responded to the survey. Of these, 8.8% preferred not to treat patients without further evaluation; 15% decided not to treat, but follow-up the patient with a serial lower-limb colour Doppler ultrasonography; 1.7% preferred anticoagulant treatment only during hospitalization and follow-up without medication; 5% preferred anticoagulant treatment for less than 3 months; and 34.5% chose a 3--6-month treatment with anticoagulation. Furthermore, 24% of physicians opted for anticoagulant treatment for more than 6 months, and 9.7% left the decision up to the patient. Opting not to treat was an option selected by more board-certified faculty members specialized in cardiology, internal medicine, and pulmonology compared with residents (p = 0.038). Willingness to provide anticoagulant therapy in the internal medicine, cardiology and pulmonology groups was 56.6%, 37.3% and 6%, respectively (p = 0.007). Conclusion The majority of physicians surveyed prefer anticoagulant therapy in patients with SSPE.

Background: Colorectal cancer is a common cancer and has a high rate of mortality and morbidity. This can be reduced by screening tests. Some of the studies have recently referred to Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) as a marker for early detection of various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the RDW and early detection of colorectal cancer and polyp. Methods:A total of 90 patients were divided into three groups. One group included patients with colon cancer, another group with colon polyps, and the third group with normal colonoscopy as a control group. Blood samples were taken from patients and mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin (HB), platelet (PLT), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), ferritin, serum iron, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) values were recorded. Transferrin saturation (Tsat) was also calculated. Statistical analysis was performed to remove the anemia effect of patients who had Tsat less than 20%, which was compared to patients who had Tsat over 20%. For the relationship between RDW and colon cancer, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used. Results: The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of the RDW for predicting colon cancer was 0.698, with cut off >14 which had 80% sensitivity and 60% specificity. Conclusions: RDW can be considered as a parameter for predicting colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]