Western Australians' perceptions of the survivability of different cancers: implications for public education campaigns.
OBJECTIVE
People's decisions about whether to participate in cancer screening and to seek treatment are related to their perceptions of the survivability of cancer. However, there is little empirical evidence to suggest people's awareness of the survivability of different cancers. The object of the present study was to determine people's estimates of the survivability of 10 cancers.


METHODS
In 2001, data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews with 1,501 randomly selected metropolitan and rural Western Australian adults. Participants were presented with a list of 10 cancers. Half the sample was asked to nominate the three most survivable, and half was asked to nominate the three least survivable cancers.


RESULTS
Participants' rankings of the 10 cancers in terms of perceived survivability were consistent with cancer registry data, with the exception of bone cancer which was underrated. Respondents' average estimates of five-year survival rates were also accurate (+/- 2-6%) for cancers with relatively high survival rates such as breast, cervical, prostate, and other skin cancers, with the exception of melanoma, which was underestimated (20%). However, average estimated survival rates for cancers with low survivability, such as leukaemia, lung, and stomach cancers, were substantially overestimated, being 31%, 38% and 43% higher respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Western Australians appear to have a reasonable understanding of the relative survivability of various cancers but a poorer appreciation of actual survival rates.
Jones
Sandra C
SC
Centre for Health Behaviour Research in Cancer Control, Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia. sandraj@uow.edu.au
Carter
Owen B J
OB
Donovan
Robert J
RJ
Jalleh
Geoffrey
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017741:Survivors; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology