Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Dec 3;101 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S31-9.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6605388.

Interventions to promote cancer awareness and early presentation: systematic review

J Austoker  1 , C Bankhead, L J L Forbes, L Atkins, F Martin, K Robb, J Wardle, A J Ramirez
Affiliations

Interventions to promote cancer awareness and early presentation: systematic review

J Austoker et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Background: Low cancer awareness contributes to delay in presentation for cancer symptoms and may lead to delay in cancer diagnosis. The aim of this study was to review the evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to raise cancer awareness and promote early presentation in cancer to inform policy and future research.

Methods: We searched bibliographic databases and reference lists for randomised controlled trials of interventions delivered to individuals, and controlled or uncontrolled studies of interventions delivered to communities.

Results: We found some evidence that interventions delivered to individuals modestly increase cancer awareness in the short term and insufficient evidence that they promote early presentation. We found limited evidence that public education campaigns reduce stage at presentation of breast cancer, malignant melanoma and retinoblastoma.

Conclusions: Interventions delivered to individuals may increase cancer awareness. Interventions delivered to communities may promote cancer awareness and early presentation, although the evidence is limited.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Blumenthal DS, Fort JG, Ahmed NU, Semenya KA, Schreiber GB, Perry S, Guillory J (2005) Impact of a two-city community cancer prevention intervention on African Americans. J Natl Med Assoc 97: 1479–1488 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bonfill Cosp X, Marzo Castillejo M, Pladevall Vila M, Marti J, Emparanza JI (2001) Strategies for increasing the participation of women in community breast cancer screening. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, Issue 1. Art. No. CD002943. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002943 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boundouki G, Humphris G, Field A (2004) Knowledge of oral cancer, distress and screening intentions: longer term effects of a patient information leaflet. Patient Educ Couns 53: 71–77 - PubMed
    1. Catalano R, Winett L, Wallack L, Satariano W (2003) Evaluating a campaign to detect early stage breast tumors in the United States. Eur J Epidemiol 18: 545–550 - PubMed
    1. De Nooijer J, Lechner L, Candel M, de Vries H (2004) Short- and long-term effects of tailored information versus general information on determinants and intentions related to early detection of cancer. Prev Med 38: 694–703 - PubMed

Publication types