title: Cancer disclosure-account from a pediatric oncology ward in Egypt.
abstract: Informing the child about his/her diagnosis and treatment plan is essential; research has shown that it is related to the patient's quality of life and adherence to medication.
  
  
  
  For 7 months during 2008 (February to September), 2 study-specific questionnaires were constructed and administered to 304 parents of children diagnosed with cancer at the Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt.
  
  
  
  Among the 313 eligible parents of children diagnosed with cancer, 304 (97%) answered the first questionnaire and 281 (92%) answered the second questionnaire. We found that nearly three-quarters (72%) of the parents had their child's cancer diagnosis communicated by the physician. Among the 72%, the rate of the children present with the parent or parents during the disease disclosure conversation was 39% (n = 85/219). The majority of the children were in the age group 5-18 years (55%).
  
  
  
  Our findings indicate that cancer disclosure at the Children's Cancer Hospital is to a certain degree common; yet even when disclosure does take place, it is mainly in the absence of the child. Moreover, the information provided during the conversation may not be fully comprehended by the parent or the child because of the physician's misleading use of terms when disclosing the disease. Therefore, better practice should be developed for disease disclosure, and proper communication should be established between the patients and the provider; patient autonomy should also have an influence in the clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: El Malla
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Steineck
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.|Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ylitalo Helm
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulrica
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wilderäng
authors.affiliation: Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt, Cairo, Egypt.|Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.|National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Yasser
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5528-0025
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: El Sayed Elborai
authors.affiliation: Children's Cancer Hospital Egypt, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elshami
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.|Sophiahemmet University, Stockholm, Sweden.|Department of Nursing, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kreicbergs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014342:Truth Disclosure
keywords: cancer; communication in health care; disease disclosure; oncology; pediatric oncology; psychosocial oncology