Quality of life and help-seeking for possible cancer symptoms: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Help-seeking for bodily changes is an important step in the process of cancer diagnosis, as outlined by the Model of Pathways to Treatment (Scott et al., 2013). The length of time between symptom detection and first presentation to a health professional can vary greatly. One factor which may influence this interval is quality of life levels (QoL). In this review, we aim to summarise the literature looking at associations between QoL and help-seeking for possible cancer symptoms. Methods: From a systematic search of 8 electronic databases, an initial pool of 8491 articles was generated. After removing duplicates, 4151 unique papers remained, and titles and abstracts were scrutinized for eligibility. The full-texts of 299 papers were assessed, and 33 papers were identified for inclusion. Expected results: The main inclusion criteria were that the sample comes from a symptomatic but undiagnosed population, symptoms correspond to the Cancer Research UK list of signs/symptoms, help-seeking and QoL are measured, and the relationship between QoL and help-seeking is analysed. The review will summarise the associations between QoL and help-seeking for possible cancer symptoms, and whether the association varies with symptom type, population, or setting. Current stage of work: The final papers are being assessed against inclusion and quality criteria, and data are being extracted from included papers. Discussion: The review will further theoretical knowledge of the factors associated with help-seeking, and present evidence regarding the role of QoL. This review will have implications for practice, through interventions aimed at reducing delay in cancer diagnosis.