Attitudes of patients living in Taiwan about cancer and its treatment

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of patients with cancer living in Taiwan toward their disease and its treatment. Forty hospitalized patients with selected types of malignancies who were receiving cancer treatment constituted the nonprobability sample. The research design included a semi-structured interview translated into Chinese (Mandarin) by one of the investigators. Qualitative analyses were conducted to establish major themes of patients' responses. Patients were asked: “What does having cancer mean to you?” Fifteen patients believed their illness to be “very serious, with little hope” and they were “preparing for death.” To the question, “What does your treatment mean to you?” over half of the patients stated, “it was very important,” and “it would have a good effect.” The paucity of literature available for cross-cultural comparison limits the evaluation of our findings and points to the need for such studies.