Knowledge of Evidence-Based Cancer Risk Factors Remains Low Among New Zealand Adults: Findings from Two Cross-Sectional Studies, 2001 and 2015

Factors Related to Delayed Diagnosis of Cutaneous Melanoma in the Brazilian Public Health System

In Brazil, 75% of the population uses the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), public health system, where the general practitioner (GP) is responsible for melanoma diagnosis. Identify the factors related to the delay in diagnosing melanoma patients assisted by SUS. A prospective observational study based on a questionnaire and medical records review assessed the sociodemographic features, melanoma signs and symptoms, previous knowledge of the disease, and factors related to delays in seeking medical care. One hundred sixty-six patients were included. Healthcare professionals suspected a lesion in only 23.5% of cases. The average time between lesion suspicion by patient/relative and first medical appointment with GP was over 6 months (31%). The time between the first GP exam and biopsy conducted by a specialist ranged from less than 1 month (34.9%) to more than 1 year (18.7%). Half of the patients (49.4%) experienced delays in histopathological diagnosis due to SUS bureaucracy/slowness. Most (80%) patients did not know what melanoma was before diagnosis. Delay in melanoma diagnosis was related to a lack of knowledge about the disease's signs and symptoms for both the study population and the primary physicians, indicating that both players must receive proper education about melanoma. Also, the infrastructure and work processed at SUS impeded the patient flow, contributing to the diagnosis of the lesions at more advanced stages.

How to Improve Cancer Prevention Knowledge? A Way to Identify Gaps and Tackle the Limited Availability of Health Education Services in Primary Health Care Using the European Code Against Cancer

Introduction

The first line of action against cancer is primary and secondary prevention. Increased efforts are needed in countries where cancer mortality is high and the healthcare system is inefficient. Objectives: Our aim was to present a new solution to identify and fill gaps in health education services in accordance with the European Code Against Cancer (ECAC).

Materials and Methods

This study was carried out in a rural population of 122 beneficiaries of health education workshops financed by the Polish Cancer League. A self-developed questionnaire was used. PQStat v1.6.8. was also applied.

Results

Our respondents were mostly farmers (53.3%) and manual workers (16.4%). Most participants self-assessed their health knowledge as good (46.7%). While 42% of all respondents claimed to know the healthy eating pyramid, only 8.2% correctly recognised all of its principles and 23.8% realised the importance of limiting the consumption of red meat. The most commonly recognised cancer risk factor were genetics (72.1%), stimulants such as alcohol or tobacco (51.5%) and environmental pollution (45.1%). UV radiation was not commonly recognised as a risk factor by respondents despite high occupational exposure in this population. We found a high percentage of male smokers. As many as 64.8% of respondents had not been counselled on cancer prevention in their clinics. A family history of cancer (FHC) did not differentiate respondents' health knowledge, health behaviors, or frequency of receiving cancer prevention counselling. Health education and health promotion in the region were unsatisfactory.

Conclusions

Primary health care (PHC) should become more involved in promoting cancer prevention knowledge. One way could be to encourage health professionals to promote the ECAC. Cancer prevention should target especially persons with FHC and focus on modifiable cancer risk factors. At the workshops we were able to adjust the strength of each ECAC recommendation to best fit the target audience. By diagnosing and targeting specific communities, we can draw the attention of PHC staff and decision-makers to local health promotion needs, which is a good starting point for improving the situation. However, larger scale projects are needed to help design specific solutions to support primary healthcare in promoting ECAC.

Assessment of patient's knowledge, attitude, and beliefs about cancer: An institute-based study

INTRODUCTION

Knowledge about cancer, treatment, and likely treatment outcomes is critically important for decision-making regarding adherence to the treatment. Hence, it seems imperative to find out the attitude and belief of cancer patients to determine the efficacy of cancer diagnostic and treatment available along with assessing the efficacy of prevention. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge, belief, and attitude of cancer patients who came to our facility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, from July 2020 to December 2020. One hundred fifty-six newly diagnosed cancer patients were recruited. The participants were provided with a validated 44 key questionnaire divided into four different categories including the sociodemographic profile, knowledge, belief, and attitude subheading. Mean, frequency, percentage, and Chi-square test were calculated to do data analysis using SPSS version 23.0.

RESULTS

Out of the total of 156 newly diagnosed cancer patients, only 130 patients provided responses so the overall response rate was 84.3%. Most of cancer patients had moderately adequate knowledge (79 [60.5%]), poor belief (111 [86%]), and neutral attitude (69 [54%]) regarding cancer. The Chi-square test revealed a link between educational level and cancer knowledge (P = 0.01). Males showed a more positive attitude than females, and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer patients need to be made more aware of the red flag signs of cancer and improvise their attitude toward cancer. Cancer care programs should not only involve cancer patients but also involve their caregivers because the understanding of family members is of utmost importance to fight this disease.