Knowledge, Perception, and Attitudes of Cancer Patients Towards Cancer and Cancer Care: Local Perspective from Saudi Arabia

Understanding the attitudes of cancer patients towards different cancer-related issues is very important for the health care provider in order to deliver an optimal care. This survey was designed to collect data about the initial patient’s perception and reaction to the diagnosis of cancer, the patient’s preference regarding the disclosure of diagnosis, and prevalence and pattern of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use. Between January and December 2011, of 234 cancer patients, 42.2 % believed that eye of evil/envy was the cause of their cancers. In 18.3 % of cases, relatives refused to inform the patient about the diagnosis. Participants liked to be the first to be informed, either with relatives at the same time (44.21 %) or alone (33.48 %). Only 7.7 % of participants liked to totally leave decisions to their doctors and/or relatives. There were 53.4 % tried CAM before starting treatment, and 46.7 % continued using CAM during treatment and most of them used more than one type of CAM. Treatment with the Holy Qur’an or Ruqia was widely reported by the study population (92 %). Our survey confirmed that the patient’s preference is towards disclosure while the public attitude is, relatively, still against full disclosure. This situation poses a special challenge to the physicians in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) when it comes to discussing the disease and treatment. Educational efforts are required to emphasize the curative role of conventional treatment, especially surgery, in many cases. Such efforts should also address the wrong beliefs and misconceptions regarding CAM.