Disclosure of Cancer Diagnosis: PakistaniPatients' Perspective

Abstract

Objective:To ascertain cancer patients' views regarding disclosure of diagnosisin the Pakistani population, anxiety levels after disclosure of the diagnosis, interestin knowing all the treatment options and desire to inform their families. Patients and Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 147 cancer patients fromdifferent hospitals in Pakistan were asked questions to determine their opinionsregarding whether the diagnosis of cancer should be disclosed to patients and theirrelatives or not. Anxiety after diagnosis disclosure and who should disclose thisinformation were also asked. Patients were also asked about their views regardingwhether their families should be informed about the cancer diagnosis withoutpatient's prior consent.Results:Atotal of 147 cancer patients completed the questionnaire. Of these, 112(76.2%) wanted to know about their cancer diagnosis while only 28 (19.0%) patientsrefused. Anxiety levels were increased in 59 (40.1%) patients, remained the same in61 (41.5%) and decreased in 27 (18.4%). One hundred and twenty three patients(83.7%), wanted to know the diagnosis from their physicians. Eighty-four (57.1%)patients were interested in all treatment options, while 102 (69.4%) patients wantedto be actively involved in decision making about their treatment. Only 37 (25.2%)patients answered affirmatively to the question which asked if their families wereinformed about the patient's disease without patient's prior knowledge, while 82(55.8%) disagreed. Conclusion:The majority of cancer patients wanted disclosure of their diseaseby their doctor. The results of this study provide important implications for Pakistanidoctors concerning the practice of diagnostic cancer disclosure to the patients