In a Psycho-Oncology study of adults in China with lung cancer, patients who knew of their cancer diagnosis generally survived longer than those who did not.
In a study of adults in China with lung cancer, patients who knew of their cancer diagnosis generally survived longer than those who did not.
In the Psycho-Oncology study of 29,825 patients, the median survival time in patients who knew of their diagnosis was 18.33 months versus 8.77 months for those who did not.
The study’s authors noted that the survival benefits of the awareness of cancer diagnoses in patients is a controversial topic in some countries due to their culture and customs. In China, cultural, social, and legal factors play a role in not fully revealing disease status to patients with cancer. Usually, doctors first explain cancer diagnoses to patients’ families, who determine whether patients will learn of their exact disease status.
“Although the complete disclosure of cancer diagnoses may cause emotional disturbance in patients immediately after being told of their diagnosis, it benefits them in the long term,” said senior author Yunxiang Tang, MD, PhD, of The Second Military Medical University, in China. “Communication skills training for doctors and psychological support and education for patients and their families should be given more attention in clinical practice.”
Additional Information
Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pon.5360
About Journal
Psycho-Oncology is concerned with the psychological, social, behavioral, and ethical aspects of cancer. This subspeciality addresses the two major psychological dimensions of cancer: the psychological responses of patients to cancer at all stages of the disease, and that of their families and caretakers; and the psychological, behavioral and social factors that may influence the disease process. Psycho-oncology is an area of multi-disciplinary interest and has boundaries with the major specialities in oncology: the clinical disciplines (surgery, medicine, pediatrics, radiotherapy), epidemiology, immunology, endocrinology, biology, pathology, bioethics, palliative care, rehabilitation medicine, clinical trials research and decision making, as well as psychiatry and psychology.
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