Studying Help-Seeking for Testicular Cancer: Some Lessons from the Literature (Part 2)

When patients delay seeking medical attention after noticing symptoms of cancer there may be consequences in terms of the eventual staging of the disease at diagnosis, its prognosis and their survival. This review focuses on the psychosocial factors influenc-ing help-seeking behaviour, hoping to draw lessons for testicular cancer in particular. Although the majority of studies have focussed on breast cancer, there is increased attention on other cancers including testicular cancer. This review outlines the methodology and terminology of “patient delay ” and some of its consequences, before considering the range of influences of poten-tial relevance to testicular cancer from a wide range of studies. It makes specific recommendations concerning the measurement of delay and methodology generally. Both psychological factors such as symptom interpretation, denial, avoidance, and distress as well as social factors are highlighted when studying the process by which men come to consult physicians.