Truth disclosure of cancer diagnoses and its influence on bereaved Japanese families

The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients with cancer and their families are informed of the results of the patients' diagnoses. The bereaved families' assessments and satisfaction with the consequences of their decisions were examined after the patients' deaths. Data were collected from the bereaved families of 53 patients who had died of lung cancer at a Japanese university hospital between January 1994 and December 1997. Data were analyzed by employing descriptive statistics for each factor. Fifty-three bereaved families responded to the questionnaire. The true diagnosis-lung cancer-was disclosed to 15.1% of the patients, whereas 26.4% were told that they were suffering from lung tumors. Other less ominous clinical descriptions were given to 58.5% of the participants. Concerning the bereaved families' responses to the manner in which the decisions had been made on truth disclosure, the average degree of satisfaction was expressed as 3.7 cm on a 5.0-cm scale. An ambiguous expression such as "lung tumor" has been arbitrarily interpreted. However, simple truth disclosure to the patient does not necessarily satisfy a bereaved family. If family members can allay a patient's doubt about the diagnosis, the family's satisfaction may improve.