Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Radiation Oncology, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

2 Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

3 Department of Surgery, AIIMS, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Knowledge about cancer, treatment, and likely treatment outcomes is critically 
important for decision‑making regarding adherence to the treatment. Hence, it seems imperative to 
find out the attitude and belief of cancer patients to determine the efficacy of cancer diagnostic and 
treatment available along with assessing the efficacy of prevention. The purpose of this study was 
to determine the level of knowledge, belief, and attitude of cancer patients who came to our facility.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was a descriptive cross‑sectional study which 
was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, from July 2020 to December 
2020. One hundred fifty‑six newly diagnosed cancer patients were recruited. The participants were 
provided with a validated 44 key questionnaire divided into four different categories including the 
sociodemographic profile, knowledge, belief, and attitude subheading. Mean, frequency, percentage, 
and Chi‑square test were calculated to do data analysis using SPSS version 23.0.
RESULTS: Out of the total of 156 newly diagnosed cancer patients, only 130 patients provided 
responses so the overall response rate was 84.3%. Most of cancer patients had moderately adequate 
knowledge (79 [60.5%]), poor belief (111 [86%]), and neutral attitude (69 [54%]) regarding cancer. The 
Chi‑square test revealed a link between educational level and cancer knowledge (P = 0.01). Males 
showed a more positive attitude than females, and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients need to be made more aware of the red flag signs of cancer 
and improvise their attitude toward cancer. Cancer care programs should not only involve cancer 
patients but also involve their caregivers because the understanding of family members is of utmost 
importance to fight this disease.

Keywords

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