Ethical issues of diagnosis disclosure and treatment in patients with genital or breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To verify how communication between physicians and patients takes place during diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of women with genital or breast cancer, using bioethics as a reference for analysis.


METHODS
Descriptive/analytical epidemiological cross-sectional study of 120 patients randomly selected at Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Brazil. Patients were given a questionnaire with nine closed-ended questions distributed as follows: three related to diagnosis, four to treatment, and two to prognosis.


RESULTS
The results showed that 73.3% of patients considered the quality of initial information received on the diagnosis of cancer as “negative”; 54.2% of patients understood information received on diagnosis and treatment; approximately 60% were aware of the prognosis of cancer; and less than 10% did not want additional information. However, for almost 40% of respondents, there was a problem in physician-patient communication regarding the process involving cancer. Age and extent of the disease did not influence the patients’ degree of understanding about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Communicating information about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis to patients with genital or breast cancer was adequate in about 60% of cases. However, problems were detected concerning the language used by physicians, lack of systematic consideration towards patient autonomy, and absence of mechanisms that could provide decision-making power to patients.
Primo
Walquiria Quida Salles Pereira
WQ
Hospital de Base do Distrito Federal, Brasília, DF, Brazil. walquiriaqspp@uol.com.br
Garrafa
Volnei
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D001938:Brazil; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D011379:Prognosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure / Q000941:ethics*