The difficulty of saying cancer diagnosis to the patients with cancer

Cancer is located in the higher ranks of the most feared disease groups. The psychology of patients diagnosed with cancer and their relatives have significantly affected. At this stage, the attitude of doctor and requests of patients may change. A questionnaire about the diagnosis and the period of learning and being told to patients was applied to newly diagnosed cancer patients. A total of 6 questions about the stage of establishing diagnosis and being told to patients was asked to a total of 200 newly diagnosed patients and applied to Medical Oncology Department in Kayseri Education and Research Hospital for the first time in an appropriate environment by the same person. Of patients who have undergone minor or major surgical procedure for the diagnose, 58,5% did not know their disease. Of patients who did not know their disease, 85% wanted to know their diagnosis after the diagnosis was established. The most important reason for diagnostic procedures told to patients was mass with the rate of 34,5%. However, of the patients who did not know their disease, 33% stated that they intuited cancer as to be their diagnosis, although the diagnosis was not told them. The diagnosis of the patients are not told them with attitude of relatives, the patient and the physician although a number of examinations and interventional procedures, and this task is left to the medical oncologists. Although the patients' relatives and even patients' themselves say that they do not know their diagnosis, at least 33% of patients intuit their diagnosis if they are carefully interrogated.