Physical challenge.

Sorry, Osler, while the physical exam served us well for centuries, it often doesn’t contribute much to 21st century oncologic surveillance. This retrospective look at 147 patients with documented ovarian cancer recurrence within 2 years of completion of primary therapy asked how many of these recurrences were detected by physical exam. The grand total: zero. Instead, over half (55%) were detected by imaging, 31% by tumor markers, 12% by mention of new symptoms, and the remaining 2% by biopsies during non-oncological surgery. This is more important than ever to consider in the era of telemedicine, when there are a lot of reasons that go above and beyond a pandemic that patients prefer not to have to travel and wait for a clinic appointment every [insert arbitrary time point]. | Feinberg, Int J Gynecol Cancer 2021