Finding a new lump or some unexpected blood is a shock. So why do some people skip on getting such signs checked out?
Receiving a “no cancer” diagnosis in the past tends to make people less likely to get new or re-emerging symptoms evaluated, finds a new study from University College London.
After analyzing 19 studies where patients’ cancer symptoms turned out to be false alarms, the researchers discovered that people weren’t banging down their doctors’ doors if the symptoms came back, or if new ones showed up. This held true regardless of the types of cancer scares the patients initially had.
More than 80 percent of people undergoing urgent cancer investigations don’t have the disease. But believing you’re safe can be dangerous: Some of these patients did end up developing cancer later on, the studies found.
In fact, in one of those studies, people with colon cancer who were originally given a non-cancer finding for their symptoms didn’t receive their actual cancer diagnosis until about 10 months after first seeing their doctor.
By comparison, those who hadn’t received a previous “no cancer” spent an average of just 2 months from first showing up with symptoms to receiving their diagnosis.
You might put off an appointment because you have a false sense of security that your symptoms are still harmless—even if they’re new or worse, says study author Cristina Renzi, M.D.
Cancer Symptoms You Shouldn’t Ignore
No one wants to feel like a hypochondriac, but getting a clean diagnosis doesn’t give you a free pass for life, says Dr. Renzi. If any of your symptoms stick around or come back, call your doctor to get them looked at a second time.
