Opinions of the Turkish population on cancer and being informed for the diagnosis of cancer: An opinion survey

Abstract

19680 Background: Opinions of the Turkish population on cancer, and their probable attitudes if one of their relative or themselves would have cancer diagnosis are investigated. Methods: The age, gender, profession, education levels of the subjects, their overall opinions on cancer are recorded by an opinion survey. Questions regarding if one of their first degree relatives had cancer, would they like the diagnosis being told to the patient and if they were to be the patient with cancer, would they prefer to be informed about the diagnosis are also asked. Results: 6566 subjects from various geographical regions of Turkey are participated in this survey. Participants’ median age were 33 years (range: 18–100), 53.3% were male. 57.7% of the participants would prefer to hide the cancer diagnosis from their first degree relatives. 54.8% of the participants had relatives with cancer and 69.9% of them said that the diagnosis had been told to the patient. The timing of the disclosure of the diagnosis were immediately in 71.5%, months after the diagnosis in 16.9% and in terminal stage in 9% of the patients. 62.8% of these patients are told to be died from cancer. When their overall opinion on cancer is asked, 76.5% were optimistic, 16.3% were pessimistic and did not believe the medicine, and 2.9% had both positive and negative opinions. Logistic regression analyses showed that 1) younger subjects; female subjects; subjects with lower education levels; subjects having a relative with cancer diagnosis which had not been revealed to the patient or revealed late in the course of the disease, or the patient had been died; subjects with pessimistic opinions about the treatment of the cancer were likely to hide the cancer diagnosis form their first degree relatives. 2) Elder subjects; subjects with lower education levels; subjects having a relative with cancer diagnosis which had been revealed to the patient; subjects having a relative with cancer diagnosis who died from cancer, subjects optimistic about cancer treatment; subjects preferring the diagnosis be hidden from patients were preferring not to be informed about the diagnosis if they were to have cancer. Conclusions: These results are comperable with reports form Eastern Europe and Asian countries. No significant financial relationships to disclose.