Cancer false alarm may give false sense of security

the Oncology Nurse Advisor take:

According to a new study published in the journal BMJ Open, Cancer Research UK researchers have found that having a cancer false alarm could dissuade people from further investigating cancer symptoms they may develop in the future.

Researchers from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London in United Kingdom conducted a review of 19 international studies to assess the effect of a cancer false alarm.

They found that patients may delay seeking help from a healthcare professional for new or recurrent symptoms if they feel that it is not cancer because of a previous false alarm or if they feel unsupported by the healthcare system.

Researchers found that if patients felt unsupported previously, there is a concern that the healthcare professional will think the patient is making a fuss out of nothing.

Results also showed that insufficient education at the time of the cancer false alarm made the patients feel like the doctor would not be able to help at the time of new onset of symptoms.

The findings suggest that patients should not have a false sense of security after experiencing a cancer false alarm, and that patients should still seek help from a healthcare professional if the experience new or recurrent symptoms.