Over-reassurance and undersupport after a 'false alarm': A systematic review of the impact on subsequent cancer symptom attribution and help seeking

BMJ Open

Volumn 5, Issue 2, 2015, Pages

  Renzi, Cristina ^a   Whitaker, Katriina L ^a   Wardle, Jane ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATABASE; BREAST CANCER; CANCER DIAGNOSIS; CANCER PATIENT; COLORECTAL CANCER; DATA COLLECTION METHOD; DIAGNOSTIC ERROR; GYNECOLOGIC CANCER; HEAD AND NECK CANCER; HELP SEEKING BEHAVIOR; HUMAN; META ANALYSIS; MULTIPLE CANCER; NEOPLASM; OUTCOME ASSESSMENT; PATIENT INFORMATION; QUALITATIVE RESEARCH; QUANTITATIVE STUDY; REASSURANCE; SAMPLE SIZE; SOCIAL SUPPORT; SYSTEMATIC REVIEW; TESTIS CANCER; COMPLICATION; DIAGNOSIS; FEMALE; MALE; PATIENT ATTITUDE; PSYCHOLOGY; TUMOR RECURRENCE; UNCERTAINTY;

FEMALE; HUMANS; MALE; NEOPLASM RECURRENCE, LOCAL; NEOPLASMS; PATIENT ACCEPTANCE OF HEALTH CARE; UNCERTAINTY;

EID: 84922340161     PISSN: None     EISSN: 20446055     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007002     Document Type: Article

References (69)

1. Richards MA, Westcombe AM, Love SB, et al. Influence of delay on survival in patients with breast cancer: a systematic review. Lancet 1999; 353: 1119-26.
2. Mitchell E, Macdonald S, Campbell NC, et al. Influences on pre-hospital delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a systematic review. Br J Cancer 2008; 98: 60-70.
3. Hamilton W, Green T, Martins T, et al. Evaluation of risk assessment tools for suspected cancer in general practice: a cohort study. Br J Gen Pract 2013; 63: e30-6.
4. Berrino F, De Angelis R, Sant M, et al. Survival for eight major cancers and all cancers combined for European adults diagnosed in 1995-99: results of the EUROCARE-4 study. Lancet Oncol 2007; 8: 773-83.
5. Coleman MP, Forman D, Bryant H, et al. Cancer survival in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the UK, 1995- 2007 (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership): an analysis of population-based cancer registry data. Lancet 2011; 377: 127-38.
6. Macleod U, Mitchell ED, Burgess C, et al. Risk factors for delayed presentation and referral of symptomatic cancer: evidence for common cancers. Br J Cancer 2009; 101(Suppl 2): S92-S101.
7. Richards MA. The size of the prize for earlier diagnosis of cancer in England. Br J Cancer 2009; 101(Suppl 2): S125-9.
8. Rubin G, Vedsted P, Emery J. Improving cancer outcomes: better access to diagnostics in primary care could be critical. Br J Gen Pract 2011; 61: 317-18.
9. Cancer Research UK. National awareness and early diagnosis initiative. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/spotcancerearly/naedi/AboutNAEDI/ (accessed 10 Jul 2014). Secondary National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative. http:// www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/spotcancerearly/naedi/AboutNAEDI/ (accessed 10 Jul2014). http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/spotcancerearly/naedi/AboutNAEDI/
10. Thorne K, Hutchings HA, Elwyn G. The effects of the Two-Week Rule on NHS colorectal cancer diagnostic services: a systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res 2006; 6: 43.
11. Pelletier M, Knauper B, Loiselle CG, et al. Moderators of psychological recovery from benign cancer screening results. Curr Oncol 2012; 19: e191-200.
12. Baughan P, Keatings J, O'Neill B. Urgent suspected cancer referrals from general practice: audit of compliance with guidelines and referral outcomes. Br J Gen Pract 2011; 61: e700-6.
13. Montgomery M, McCrone SH. Psychological distress associated with the diagnostic phase for suspected breast cancer: systematic review. J Adv Nurs 2010; 66: 2372-90.
14. Andrykowski MA, Carpenter JS, Studts JL, et al. Psychological impact of benign breast biopsy: a longitudinal, comparative study. Health Psychol 2002; 21: 485-94.
15. Witek-Janusek L, Gabram S, Mathews HL. Psychologic stress, reduced NK cell activity, and cytokine dysregulation in women experiencing diagnostic breast biopsy. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2007; 32: 22-35.
16. Arndt V, Stürmer T, Stegmaier C, et al. Provider delay among patients with breast cancer in Germany: a population-based study. J Clin Oncol 2003; 21: 1440-6.
17. Arndt V, Sturmer T, Stegmaier C, et al. Patient delay and stage of diagnosis among breast cancer patients in Germany-a population based study. Br J Cancer 2002; 86: 1034-40.
18. Hogberg C, Karling P, Rutegard J, et al. Immunochemical faecal occult blood tests in primary care and the risk of delay in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Scand J Prim Health Care 2013; 31: 209-14.
19. Macdonald S, Macleod U, Campbell NC, et al. Systematic review of factors influencing patient and practitioner delay in diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal cancer. Br J Cancer 2006; 94: 1272-80.
20. Smith LK, Pope C, Botha JL. Patients' help-seeking experiences and delay in cancer presentation: a qualitative synthesis. Lancet 2005; 366: 825-31.
21. Heisey R, Clemons M, Granek L, et al. Health care strategies to promote earlier presentation of symptomatic breast cancer: perspectives of women and family physicians. Curr Oncol 2011; 18: e227-37.
22. Brewer NT, Salz T, Lillie SE. Systematic review: the long-term effects of false-positive mammograms. Ann Intern Med 2007; 146: 502-10.
23. Bond M, Pavey T, Welch K, et al. Psychological consequences of false-positive screening mammograms in the UK. Evid Based Med 2013; 18: 54-61.
24. Janz NK, Becker MH, Haefner DP, et al. Determinants of breast self-examination after a benign biopsy. Am J Prev Med 1990; 6: 84-92.
25. Scott SE, Walter FM, Webster A, et al. The model of pathways to treatment: conceptualization and integration with existing theory. Br J Health Psychol 2013; 18: 45-65.
26. Greenhalgh T, Peacock R. Effectiveness and efficiency of search methods in systematic reviews of complex evidence: audit of primary sources. BMJ 2005; 331: 1064-5.
27. Beacham AO, Carpenter JS, Andrykowski MA. Impact of benign breast biopsy upon breast self-examination. Prev Med 2004; 38: 723-31.
28. Dixon-Woods M, Bonas S, Booth A, et al. How can systematic reviews incorporate qualitative research? A critical perspective. Qual Res 2006; 6: 27-44.
29. Petticrew M, Rehfuess E, Noyes J, et al. Synthesizing evidence on complex interventions: how meta-analytical, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches can contribute. J Clin Epidemiol 2013; 66: 1230-43.
30. Pace R, Pluye P, Bartlett G, et al. Testing the reliability and efficiency of the pilot Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) for systematic mixed studies review. Int J Nurs Stud 2012; 49: 47-53.
31. Dubayova T, van Dijk JP, Nagyova I, et al. The impact of the intensity of fear on patient's delay regarding health care seeking behavior: a systematic review. Int J Public Health 2010; 55: 459-68.
32. Tromp DM, Brouha XD, Hordijk G-J, et al. Patient factors associated with delay in primary care among patients with head and neck carcinoma: a case-series analysis. Fam Pract 2005; 22: 554-9.
33. Bain NS, Campbell NC, Ritchie LD, et al. Striking the right balance in colorectal cancer care-a qualitative study of rural and urban patients. Fam Pract 2002; 19: 369-74.
34. Tishelman C, Sachs L. The diagnostic process and the boundaries of normality. Qual Health Res 1998; 8: 48-60.
35. Chapple A, Ziebland S, McPherson A. Qualitative study of men's perceptions of why treatment delays occur in the UK for those with testicular cancer. Br J Gen Pract 2004; 54: 25-32.
36. Facione NC, Dodd MJ. Women's narratives of helpseeking for breast cancer. Cancer Pract 1995; 3: 219-25.
37. Facione NC, Facione PA. The cognitive structuring of patient delay in breast cancer. Soc Sci Med 2006; 63: 3137-49.
38. Evans J, Ziebland S, McPherson A. Minimizing delays in ovarian cancer diagnosis: an expansion of Andersen's model of 'total patient delay'. Fam Pract 2007; 24: 48-55.
39. Fitch M, Deane K, Howell D, et al. Women's experiences with ovarian cancer: reflections on being diagnosed. Can Oncol Nurs J 2002; 12: 152-68.
40. Gascoigne P, Mason M, Roberts E. Factors affecting presentation and delay in patients with testicular cancer: results of a qualitative study. Psychooncology 1999; 8: 144-54.
41. Jones SC, Gregory P, Nehill C, et al. Australian women's awareness of breast cancer symptoms and responses to potential symptoms. Cancer Causes Control 2010; 21: 945-58.
42. Salander P, Bergenheim AT, Hamberg K, et al. Pathways from symptoms to medical care: a descriptive study of symptom development and obstacles to early diagnosis in brain tumour patients. Fam Pract 1999; 16: 143-8.
43. Scott SE, McGurk M, Grunfeld EA. The process of symptom appraisal: cognitive and emotional responses to detecting potentially malignant oral symptoms. J Psychosom Res 2007; 62: 621-30.
44. Siminoff LA, Rogers HL, Thomson MD, et al. Doctor, what's wrong with me? Factors that delay the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Patient Educ Counse 2011; 84: 352-8.
45. Underwood SM, Hoskins D, Cummins T, et al. Obstacles to cancer care: focus on the economically disadvantaged. Oncol Nurs Forum 1994; 21: 47-52.
46. Granek L, Fergus K. Resistance, agency, and liminality in women's accounts of symptom appraisal and help-seeking upon discovery of a breast irregularity. Soc Sci Med 2012; 75: 1753-61.
47. Tarling R, Gale A, Martin-Hirsch P, et al. Experiences of women referred for urgent assessment of postmenopausal bleeding (PMB). J Obstet Gynaecol 2013; 33: 184-7.
48. Shin S, Schneider HB, Cole FJ Jr, et al. Follow-up recommendations for benign breast biopsies. Breast J 2006; 12: 413-7.
49. Goldacre MJ, Abisgold JD, Yeates DG, et al. Benign breast disease and subsequent breast cancer: English record linkage studies. J Public Health 2010; 32: 565-71.
50. Haakinson DJ, Stucky CC, Dueck AC, et al. A significant number of women present with palpable breast cancer even with a normal mammogram within 1 year. Am J Surg 2010; 200: 712-17; discussion 17-18.
51. Dominitz JA, Robertson DJ. Editorial: interval cancers: learning from the past as we build for the future. Am J Gastroenterol 2013; 108: 1341-3.
52. Vaughan-Shaw PG, Cutting JE, Borley NR, et al. Repeat 2-week wait referrals for colorectal cancer. Colorectal Dis 2013; 15: 292-7.
53. Robb K, Stubbings S, Ramirez A, et al. Public awareness of cancer in Britain: a population-based survey of adults. Br J Cancer 2009; 101(Suppl 2): S18-23.
54. Forbes LJ, Simon AE, Warburton F, et al. Differences in cancer awareness and beliefs between Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK (the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership): do they contribute to differences in cancer survival? Br J Cancer 2013; 108: 292-300.
55. Beeken RJ, Simon AE, von Wagner C, et al. Cancer fatalism: deterring early presentation and increasing social inequalities? Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011; 20: 2127-31.
56. Hitchins CR, Lawn A, Whitehouse G, et al. The straight to test endoscopy service for suspected colorectal cancer: meeting national targets but are we meeting our patients' expectations? Colorectal Dis 2014; 16: 616-19.
57. Mitchell ED, Rubin G, Macleod U. Understanding diagnosis of lung cancer in primary care: qualitative synthesis of significant event audit reports. Br J Gen Pract 2013; 63: e37-46.
58. Berner ES, Graber ML. Overconfidence as a cause of diagnostic error in medicine. Am J Med 2008; 121(5, Supplement): S2-S23.
59. Vedsted P, Olesen F. Are the serious problems in cancer survival partly rooted in gatekeeper principles? An ecologic study. Br J Gen Pract 2011; 61: e508-12.
60. Target Ovarian Cancer. The 2012 Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study. http://www.targetovariancancer.org.uk(accessed 10 Jul 2014). Secondary Target Ovarian Cancer. The 2012 Target Ovarian Cancer Pathfinder Study. http://www.targetovariancancer.org.uk (accessed 10 Jul 2014).
61. Allgar VL, Neal RD, Ali N, et al. Urgent GP referrals for suspected lung, colorectal, prostate and ovarian cancer. Br J Gen Pract 2006; 56: 355-62.
62. Almond S, Mant D, Thompson M. Diagnostic safety-netting. Br J Gen Pract 2009; 59: 872-4; discussion 74
63. Brett J, Bankhead C, Henderson B, et al. The psychological impact of mammographic screening. A systematic review. Psychooncology 2005; 14: 917-38.
64. Ndukwe N, Borowski DW, Lee A, et al. The two-week rule for suspected colorectal cancer: Patient experience and psychological impact. Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2012; 25: 75-85.
65. Montgomery DA, Krupa K, Cooke TG. Follow-up in breast cancer: does routine clinical examination improve outcome? A systematic review of the literature. Br J Cancer 2007; 97: 1632-41.
66. Abernethy AP, Zafar SY, Uronis H, et al. Validation of the patient care monitor (Version 2.0): a review of system assessment instrument for cancer patients. J Pain Symptom Manage 2010; 40: 545-58.
67. Solbjor M, Skolbekken JA, Saetnan AR, et al. Could screening participation bias symptom interpretation? An interview study on women's interpretations of and responses to cancer symptoms between mammography screening rounds. BMJ Open 2012; 2: pii: e001508.
68. Bond M, Pavey T, Welch K, et al. Systematic review of the psychological consequences of false-positive screening mammograms. Health Technol Assess 2013; 17: 1-170, v-vi.
69. Salz T, DeFrank JT, Brewer NT. False positive mammograms in Europe: do they affect reattendance? Breast Cancer Res Treat 2011; 127: 229-31.