Table 3. Frequency of reported barriers to seeking help from the doctor.
| Total | Acute leukaemiaa | CLL | CML | Myeloma | NHL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total patients | 785 (100) | 154 (100) | 159 (100) | 161 (100) | 150 (100) | 161 (100) |
| Total with symptoms | 654 (83.3) | 141 (91.6) | 108 (67.9) | 134 (83.2) | 118 (78.7) | 153 (95.0) |
| Total with symptoms reporting reasons for putting off going to doctor | 380 (58.1) | 96 (68.1) | 39 (36.1) | 121 (90.3) | 51 (43.2) | 73 (47.7) |
|
Barrierb,c | ||||||
| Did not realise symptom was serious | 218 (33.3) | 56 (39.7) | 28 (25.9) | 63 (47.0) | 30 (25.4) | 41 (26.8) |
| Worried about wasting doctor's time | 43 (6.6) | 17 (12.0) | 3 (2.8) | 10 (7.4) | 4 (3.4) | 9 (5.9) |
| Too many other things to worry about | 28 (4.3) | 5 (3.5) | 2 (1.9) | 12 (8.9) | 6 (5.1) | 3 (2.0) |
| Too busy to go to doctor | 26 (4.0) | 5 (3.5) | 1 (0.9) | 15 (11.2) | 3 (2.5) | 2 (1.3) |
| Worried what doctor might find | 26 (4.0) | 1 (0.7) | 0 (0.0) | 15 (11.2) | 4 (3.4) | 6 (3.9) |
| Difficult to make appointment | 16 (2.4) | 6 (4.3) | 2 (1.9) | 2 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) | 5 (3.3) |
| Doctor difficult to talk to | 14 (2.1) | 3 (2.1) | 3 (2.8) | 2 (1.4) | 2 (1.7) | 4 (2.6) |
| Otherd | 9 (1.4) | 3 (2.1) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) | 3 (2.0) |
Abbreviations: CLL=chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; CML=chronic myeloid leukaemia; NHL=non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Values are reported as N (%).
a
Acute leukaemia: lymphoblastic and myeloid.
b
Categories are based on those validated in the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer measure (Simon et al, 2012) and the Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Measure (Stubbings et al, 2009).
c
Percentages calculated as a proportion of the total patients with symptoms.
d
Others: did not feel confident talking about symptoms with doctor (n=6); too embarrassed to see doctor (n=2); difficult to arrange transport (n=1).