Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Clinical Oncology/Epidemiology
  • Published:

Clinical Oncology/Epidemiology

Cancer patients' perceptions of their disease and its treatment

Abstract

One hundred cancer patients undergoing active treatment were interviewed to determine how they perceived their illness and how their perceptions compared with those of their attending physicians. Ninety-eight patients recognized that they had cancer and 87 correctly identified the tumour type. Sixty-four of 67 patients with local or regional disease were aware of this, but 11 of 33 patients with metastatic disease incorrectly believed that the cancer was localized. Five of 52 patients being treated for cure thought they were being treated palliatively, and 16 of 48 patients receiving palliative treatment believed that the doctor's aim was to cure them. Forty of these 48 patients significantly overestimated the probability that the treatment would prolong their lives. Patients with little secondary education were significantly more likely to underestimate the seriousness of their condition. Interactions between doctor and patients were not observed directly and it was therefore not possible to determine whether patients' inaccurate views of their illness were due to suboptimal communication or denial. Doctors frequently failed to recognize their patients' misconceptions. In only one of the 16 cases in which a patient, who was being treated palliatively, believed that the treatment was curative did the doctor recognize that this misunderstanding existed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mackillop, W., Stewart, W., Ginsburg, A. et al. Cancer patients' perceptions of their disease and its treatment. Br J Cancer 58, 355–358 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1988.218

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1988.218

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links