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. 2022 May;43(5):479-485.
doi: 10.15537/smj.2022.43.5.20210742.

The trends of cancer patients' perceptions on the causes and risk factors of cancer over time

Abdul Rahman Jazieh  1 , Mohammad Alkaiyat  1 , Khadega A Abuelgasim  1 , Husam Ardah  1
Affiliations

The trends of cancer patients' perceptions on the causes and risk factors of cancer over time

Abdul Rahman Jazieh et al. Saudi Med J. 2022 May.

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate patients' perceptions on the causes and outcomes of cancer and the changes observed over a decade (2006-2016) at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with cancer and treated at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. The patients were enrolled in 2 cohorts: cohort 1 from 2006-2008 and cohort 2 from 2016-2018. The trends of the perceptions related to the causes and outcomes of cancer were compared between the 2 cohorts.

Results: In total, 1416 patients were enrolled in the 2 cohorts: cohort 1 included 464 patients and cohort 2 included 952 patients. The patients in cohort 2 had a higher level of education, higher unemployment rate, and more solid tumors. There was a significant increase in the belief of the "evil eye" as a cause of cancer from 1.3-33.1% between cohort one and cohort 2. A higher proportion (23.5%) of cohort 2 reported scientific causes for cancer, compared to 13.6% in cohort 1 (p<0.0001). Younger age, male gender, having a job, and being in cohort 2 were significantly associated with providing a scientific answer in a multivariate analysis (modeling scientific cause).

Conclusion: In this study, a frequent misperception related to the causes of cancer was revealed. To tackle this issue, a systematic approach towards education for patients and the public is required to minimize the potential detrimental effects on patient care and patient outcomes.

Keywords: awareness; cancer perception; cancer trends; cause of cancer; knowledge.

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