What to Tell Cancer Patients: A Study of Medical Attitudes
Abstract
A questionnaire and interviews were used to study the policies of 219 physicians about "telling" cancer patients. Ninety per cent indicated a preference for not telling. Although clinical experience was cited by three-quarters as the major policy determinant, the data bear no relation to experience or age. Instead, inconsistencies, opinionatedness, and resistance to change and to research were found which indicated emotion-laden a priori personal judgments as the real determinants. Feared reactions to telling (e.g., suicide) could rarely be substantiated. Equally undocumented assumptions were given as justifications for telling. Underlying were feelings of pessimism and futility about cancer. The strong feelings mobilized by our deep and serious concerns for cancer patients, and our difficulties in helping them, stimulate denial mechanisms. These responses, unfortunately, operate as interferences to progress in cancer therapy.
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Even in an advanced western country such as the United States, some minority populations hold views different from those of the majority white population regarding the need for full disclosure and decisions about life support, preferring a family-centered approach.
“Even in an advanced western country such as United States, the culture being inhomogeneous, some minority populations hold views different from that of the majority white population in need for full disclosure, and in decisions about life support (preferring a familycentered approach) [13].”
From Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice (2021) · cites this paper as [13]
Cites
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Principles of Clinical Ethics and Their Application to Practice
Varkey, B. (2021) · Medical Principles and Practice · doi:10.1159/000509119 · Cited by 1,171 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Oken, D.
- Corresponding author
- Oken, Donald
- Venue
- JAMA
- Publisher
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Published
- 1961-04-01
- Volume
- 175
- Issue
- 13
- Pages
- 1120
- ISSN
- 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
- 0098-7484
- OpenAlex
- W2050772816
- Cited by
- 632
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 43.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- JAMA (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Keywords
- cancer diagnosis disclosure, physician-patient communication, physician attitudes, cancer patients, resistance to change
- MeSH terms
- Attitude, Humans, Neoplasms, Physician-Patient Relations
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