What elderly cancer patients want to know? Differences among elderly and young patients

The aims of our study were: (1) to evaluate the information needs of Italian elderly cancer patients (age ⩾65 years), (2) to compare them with those of young patients (age 18–40 years). Between June 2004 and February 2005 we asked 122 elderly (mean age 72 years) and 52 young (mean age 33 years) cancer patients naïve for treatment to fill in two self‐administered questionnaires exploring their needs for information and their psychological distress. The needs for information of elderly patients differed significantly from those of the young patients (p<0.0001); on contrast, both groups showed a similar psychological distress and the same reasons for seeking further information. Our results demonstrate that, more frequently than expected, Italian elderly cancer patients do not want complete information on their disease. Assessing to what extent elderly patients require information is essential for giving them tailored information. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[1]  Perceptions of older people with cancer of information, decision making and treatment: a systematic review of selected literature , 2004 .

[2]  K. McPherson,et al.  Cancer patients' information needs and information seeking behaviour: in depth interview study , 2000, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[3]  A Ajaj,et al.  Should elderly patients be told they have cancer? Questionnaire survey of older people , 2001, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[4]  M. Costantini,et al.  Assessing psychological distress in cancer patients: validation of a self-administered questionnaire. , 1996, Oncology.

[5]  R. Adelman,et al.  Communication between older patients and their physicians. , 2000, Clinics in geriatric medicine.

[6]  C. Rees,et al.  Information Needs and Information-seeking Behaviors of Men With Prostate Cancer and Their Partners: A Review of the Literature , 2002, Cancer nursing.

[7]  B. Savelyich,et al.  Information needs of Asian and White British cancer patients and their families in Leicestershire: a cross-sectional survey , 2004, British Journal of Cancer.

[8]  J. Pruyn,et al.  Measuring information needs among cancer patients. , 2001, Patient education and counseling.

[9]  D Davies,et al.  Preferences for different sources of information about cancer. , 1999, Patient education and counseling.

[10]  J. Saul,et al.  Information needs of patients with cancer: results from a large study in UK cancer centres , 2001, British Journal of Cancer.

[11]  D. Stewart,et al.  Information needs and decisional preferences among women with ovarian cancer. , 2000, Gynecologic oncology.

[12]  C E Rees,et al.  The information needs and source preferences of women with breast cancer and their family members: a review of the literature published between 1988 and 1998. , 2000, Journal of advanced nursing.

[13]  Suzanne Pingree,et al.  Barriers to information access, perceived health competence, and psychosocial health outcomes: test of a mediation model in a breast cancer sample. , 2002, Patient education and counseling.

[14]  L. Grassi,et al.  Physicians' attitudes to and problems with truth-telling to cancer patients , 2000, Supportive Care in Cancer.

[15]  D E Harrison,et al.  Information needs and preference for information of women with breast cancer over a first course of radiation therapy. , 1999, Patient education and counseling.

[16]  P. Maguire,et al.  Improving communication with cancer patients. , 1999, European journal of cancer.