Awareness of Diagnosis in Patients with Cancer: A Study from Egypt

Abstract

Background: One of the barriers to cancer care is the inadequate communication with patients and their families. InEgypt, it is believed that culture is against the honest disclosure of cancer diagnosis. So, the majority of cancer patientsare usually unaware of their diagnosis.Aim: To study cancer diagnosis awareness among a group of Egyptian patients and the factors contributing to their unawareness. Methods: The study included 119 cancer patients from two cancer centers; one in Cairo and the other in Sharkia. Patients were asked about their illness and who answered as having cancer/tumor” or mentioned the name of cancer considered aware. Results: The majority of our patients (100/119, 84%) were aware of their cancer diagnosis. Their answer was “cancer” in 31%, “tumor” in 60% and the name of cancer in 9%. While, a nority (19 /119, 16%), were unaware of their cancer diagnosis. They were more likely to be less educated, older in age, males, unmarried, and from Sharkia. None of the studied variables associated significantly with awareness. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that most cancer patients in Egypt are aware of their diagnosis. This may be due to a change in the Egyptian cultural attitude towards truth telling and a shift in the approach of care from paternalistic to patient-centred.

Keywords

• cancer diagnosis
• disclosure
• culture
• attitude
• egypt