Abstract
BackgroundWhilst there has been no clear consensus on the potential for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer, recent research has suggested that the time between symptom onset and consultation can be long enough to plausibly affect prognosis. In this article, we present findings from a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with patients who had been diagnosed with lung cancer (n = 11), and people who were at heightened risk of developing the disease (n = 14).MethodsA grounded theory methodology was drawn upon to conduct thematic and narrative based approaches to analysis.ResultsThe paper focuses on three main themes which emerged from the study: i) fatalism and resignation in pathways to help-seeking and the process of diagnosis; ii) Awareness of smoking risk and response to cessation information and advice. iii) The role of social and other networks on help-seeking. Key findings included: poor awareness among participants of the symptoms of lung cancer; ambivalence about the dangers of smoking; the perception of lung cancer as part of a homogenisation of multiple illnesses; close social networks as a key trigger in help-seeking.ConclusionsWe suggest that future smoking cessation and lung cancer awareness campaigns could usefully capitalise on the influence of close social networks, and would benefit from taking a ‘softer’ approach.
Highlights
As yet there is no clear consensus on the potential for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer [14,15], research has suggested that the time between symptom onset and consultation can often be long enough to plausibly affect prognosis [10]
Against the backdrop of what is a significant issue in terms of health promotion, there is a strong policy emphasis in the UK on helping people to give up smoking, and on raising awareness of the early signs and symptoms of lung cancer
We have tried to show that while our analysis confirms the findings of several other studies, there are areas where our results indicate some divergence from extant work
Summary
Whilst there has been no clear consensus on the potential for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer, recent research has suggested that the time between symptom onset and consultation can be long enough to plausibly affect prognosis. As yet there is no clear consensus on the potential for earlier diagnosis of lung cancer [14,15], research has suggested that the time between symptom onset and consultation can often be long enough to plausibly affect prognosis [10]. Moody et al 2004 [16], for example, highlight that the most effective curative option for lung cancer is surgery, and this modality has not changed significantly for many years [17], it can be highly effective for patients with early stage disease. It is far less so for those whose disease is more advanced. It follows that a significant impact on survival rates could be achieved if a higher proportion of patients were diagnosed early enough to benefit from potentially curative surgery
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