Disclosure of cancer diagnosis and quality of life in cancer patients: should it be the same everywhere?

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that truth telling and honest disclosure of cancer diagnosis could lead to improved outcomes in cancer patients. To examine such findings in Iran, this trial aimed to study the various dimensions of quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal cancer and to compare these variables among those who knew their diagnosis and those who did not.

Is therapeutic non-disclosure still possible? A study on the awareness of cancer diagnosis in China

“…In our study group of 151 cancer patients, only 18.6% of college-educated patents were unaware of their cancer diagnosis compared with 41.1% and 43.5% of patents in the middle school and high school groups, respectively. This is similar to the findings of a recent Iranian study, which revealed a correlation between illiteracy and being unaware of the true diagnosis [25]. As new technologies become more accessible, patients increasingly seek, and obtain medical information outside clinical encounters, generally through mass media or the Internet [26].…”

Psychological impact of revealing a diagnosis of lung cancer to patients in China

“…They doubted the rationality of truth telling to cancer patient in the Asian World. They hypothesized that the principle of cancer disclosure might vary due to cultural differences (13). Similarly, studies conducted in India and Turkey showed that patients that received a cancer diagnosis had a significantly higher psychiatric morbidity than those left unaware of their diagnosis (14,15).…”

Akciğer kanserli hastaya tanısı söylenmeli mi?

“…Ancak geçmişte insiyatif kullanarak kanser tanısını söylemeyen hekimlerin oranı günümüzde giderek azalmaktadır (11,12). Ancak Balkan ve Doğu toplumlarında biz de olduğu gibi bilgilendirme konusunda sorunlar devam etmektedir (7,(13)(14)(15). Çalışmamız sonucunda da katılımcıların %89.6'sı akciğer kanseri tanısı almaları halinde tanılarını bilmek isteyeceklerini, %88.3'ünün iste hastalık hakkında detaylı bir bilgilendirme isteyeceklerini bildirmişlerdir.…”