Cancer patients look for more support, better diagnostic process

A 4,000-person survey in cancer patients from 10 Western countries finds that those who are looking for emotional support dealing with their cancer are largely unable to get it. Here’s more from the report, which was conducted by the All Can initiative, which gets some of its funding from six pharma companies: 

• Support: Nearly 40% said they didn’t get the support they needed to deal with ongoing symptoms and side effects. About a third felt they didn’t have adequate information about their cancer and treatment for it. 
• Diagnosis: A quarter of respondents said their cancer diagnosis process was inefficient, more than any other aspect of cancer care. Nearly 60% were diagnosed outside a screening program. 
• A caveat: Because the survey was conducted in developed countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., the results are not generalizable to many parts of the world where cancer care may be less accessible.