“Teetering on a Tightrope”: Uncertainty and Information Management During the Cancer Pre-Diagnosis Phase

Abstract

Facing a potential cancer diagnosis can be rife with dichotomous and chaining uncertainty. This study draws from Uncertainty Management Theory and the Theory of Motivated Information Management to explore patient experiences in the pre-diagnosis phase: the time between when suspicious symptoms are observed and a positive or negative cancer diagnosis is received. Fifty-five interviews were conducted with people who underwent a cancer diagnosis process in the five years prior to the interview. Using thematic analysis, this study highlights the challenges of temporal and testing uncertainties, as well as information management strategies of avoidance, tailored experiential support, and agentic medical research.