The justifiable fear of having or developing a tumor may stem from one of the three following conditions:
- a worrying symptom,
- an abnormal test result, or
- simply the fact of having a family history of cancer.
These three conditions are not listed in order of importance. All three may be justifiable causes of worry and may require action to be taken. On the other hand, they may simply be misinterpreted or magnified by the person involved, when really there is no danger at all and the person only needs to be reassured.
So, what’s the difference between these two situations? What prompts the doctor either to act or to reassure? When should we worry?
The answers to these questions depend on the type and intensity of the “danger signal” in question. Indeed, each of the above conditions (symptoms, test results, family history) may display a certain “background noise”, that is to say, small variations from the normal state that do not mean anything serious or dangerous. It is only when one of these conditions produces a very precise signal that clearly stands out from the “background noise” that we should worry (FIGURE 1).
It’s the doctor’s job to distinguish danger signals from background noise. However, if patients have a smattering of knowledge of these basic medical concepts, they can make the doctor’s work easier.