Beliefs and Perceptions about Cancers among Patients Attending Radiotherapy Out Patient Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital

Aims and objectives: 1. To assess the beliefs and perceptions about cancer and its treatment among cancer patients. 2. To find out the care-seeking behaviour of cancer patients. 3. To determine socio-demographic correlation. Materials and methods: This is a cross sectional observational study over one year (April 2016 – April 2017) in the Department of Radiotherapy, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, a tertiary care, teaching hospital in Bankura. Total 100 patients over 18 years of age were included in the study. Date were analysed in Excel sheet and tests of significance were applied wherever applicable by SPSS 20 ® . Results: Present study revealed Male: Female ratio (1: 1) with majority of the patients from 46-60 years of age group (44%) and below poverty line (71%). About 64% patients were unaware of their disease. Seventy three percent patients believed that cancer is curable, 21% patients believed that it is preventable. Among them 98% patients had no family history of cancer. No statistical significance were found in association of education status and belief on preventability, contagiousness, knowledge of consumption of tobacco with cancer. However belief on early death in cancer with education status and false belief on positive outcome in cancer (Male: 62% and Female: 38%) in male and female patients were found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The study revealed some of the beliefs and perceptions prevalent among the cancer patients. Most of them were unaware about the diagnosis of their illness as cancer. Some of them still believe irreligious activity, supernatural powers as risk factors of cancers and rituals, worshipping, exorcism, repenting for sins as curative. Education was found to be an important issue in these beliefs and perceptions as these were more found in persons with lower educational qualification. Influence was not affected by economic condition.