[Informing advanced cancer patients of the terminal nature of their disease and how this influenced their mental state].
From January, 1983 to July, 1987, advanced cancer patients, who have since died, were analysed as to the influence of their mental state after being told of the terminal nature of their disease. After obtaining family consent, 27 out of total of 65 patients were told the true nature of their disease, in contrast to the remaining 38 terminal patients who were kept unaware that they had cancer on the insistence of their families. The depression observed just before death was the marker used to determine the patients' mental distress during the terminal period, and it was noted that the incidence of this terminal depression was higher in the uniformed patients, and highest in those with pain who had not been told. Thus it was concluded that informing a patient that he or she has terminal cancer does not always induce mental distress, even in patients in an advanced cancer stage. Further, the pain that cancer causes must be effectively fought, since this was the major cause of mental distress during the terminal stage of the disease.
Okazaki
N
N
Dept. of Int. Med., National Cancer Center Hospital.
Yoshimori
M
M
Oota
H
H
Kakikawa
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010148:Intractable Pain / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D013727:Terminal Care; D014342:Truth Disclosure