77 Patients who visit their GP with abdominal pain or bloating may be showing early signs of cancer months before a formal diagnosis, according to new research using NHS data. The study suggests that abnormal results from standard blood tests could help identify cancer sooner, especially in patients whose symptoms are vague and easily mistaken for less serious conditions. The findings were published in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers analysed records from over 63,000 adults aged 30 and above who consulted their GP for abdominal pain or bloating. They compared blood test results between those later diagnosed with cancer and those who were not. The findings showed a clear pattern: cancer patients were more likely to undergo blood tests and were far more likely to have abnormal results starting as early as seven months before diagnosis. Tests measuring inflammation, platelets, white blood cells, haemoglobin, albumin, and ferritin showed the most striking differences. Raised inflammatory markers were the most common abnormality, found in up to 79 percent of cancer patients tested. Other significant markers included raised platelet counts and low albumin levels, which were several times more common in patients later diagnosed with cancer. This trend suggests that common blood test abnormalities could serve as early indicators of undetected cancer. In particular, GPs were more likely to order blood tests for patients with cancer than those with similar symptoms but no cancer, implying that doctors may already be picking up on subtle warning signs during consultations. Despite this, many of these patients still faced delays, with repeated GP visits occurring months before a diagnosis. This suggests that while the signals may be there, they are not always acted upon quickly enough. The study identified a “diagnostic window” of about seven months in which action on abnormal blood results could potentially bring a diagnosis forward. The research highlights an important opportunity for improving early cancer detection, especially in people without clear red-flag symptoms. Abdominal pain and bloating are common, and often dismissed, but for a small proportion of patients they are the first signs of serious illness. The findings also point to the potential value of diagnostic tools that could combine blood test data with symptoms and patient history to better flag individuals at higher risk. Such tools could support GPs in deciding which patients should be referred for cancer investigations more urgently. Early diagnosis remains key to improving cancer survival rates. By recognising patterns in blood test abnormalities, this study provides a foundation for future developments in cancer detection and clinical decision-making.