Perceptions about Cancer and Its Treatment among Cancer Patients – The PACT Study

Abstract Myths and false beliefs regarding cancer are widespread among the general population, and they deeply hamper cancer care. It is essential to probe into these misconceptions and to address them for the betterment of treatment outcomes. The present cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on cancer patients attending a tertiary cancer care hospital in Eastern India, and it involved a face-to-face interview with a pretested and validated questionnaire on perceptions related to cancer, namely cultural beliefs, contagiousness, diet, screening, the hazards of biopsy and surgery, alternative medication use, chemotherapy-induced pain, hair loss, and the curability of the disease. The myth score and myth index were calculated for each subject (myth indices ≥ 30% are considered high). Between August and December 2023, we interviewed 222 cancer patients with a median age of 51.5 years; 58.1% of the sample were female subjects, and 76.6% lived in rural households. The median myth score was of 7 (interquartile range [IQR]: 4–10) and 21.17% of the subjects had myth indices ≥ 30%. Univariate logistic regression detected no significant predictors for high myth index among the subjects. In the current study, we found numerous misconceptions among cancer patients. Various social factors were identified that can cause social isolation of the cancer patient. We hope the present study will aid in the development of health policies to enhance cancer awareness by targeting specific perceptions.