Prevalence of cancer alarm symptoms: a population-based cross-sectional study.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of alarm symptoms for breast, colorectal, urinary tract, and lung cancer in the general population.


METHODS
Cross-sectional questionnaire survey.


METHODS
The former County of Funen, Denmark, with 480,000 inhabitants.


METHODS
A total of 13,777 randomly selected persons aged 20 years and older.


METHODS
Prevalence estimates of having experienced cancer alarm symptoms during the past 12 months: a lump in the breast, blood in bowel movements, blood in urine, or coughing for more than six weeks. The number of alarm symptoms experienced within the past 12 months was also calculated.


RESULTS
With a response rate of 69%, 3.3% of responders (95% CI 2.9% to 3.7%) reported a lump in their breast, 5.7% (5.2% to 6.3%) reported blood in bowel movements, 2.2% (1.9% to 2.5%) reported blood in urine, and 6.5% (6.1% to 7.5%) reported coughing for more than six weeks within the past 12 months. Overall, 15.3% (95% confidence interval 14.3% to 16.3%) of the females and 12.7% (11.6% to 13.7%) of the males reported having experienced at least one cancer alarm symptom within the past 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Alarm symptoms of breast, colorectal, urinary tract, and lung cancer are common in the general population and approximately 15% of the population have experienced at least one of these cancer alarm symptom within the past 12 months.
Svendsen
Rikke Pilsgaard
RP
Research Unit for General Practice in Odense, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. rsvendsen@health.sdu.dk
Støvring
Henrik
H
Hansen
Bjarne Lühr
BL
Kragstrup
Jakob
J
Søndergaard
Jens
J
Jarbøl
Dorte Ejg
DE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006417:Hematuria / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*