2024 Asia Conference on Lung Cancer (ACLC) - Poster & ePosters-PP01.21

PP01.21 - Xiaozhan Huai

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The study assessed cancer patients' awareness and knowledge of palliative care in mainland China, highlighting significant progress since 2020. Despite this improvement, misconceptions about palliative care persist, with many patients mistakenly believing it is only for terminal cancer stages. The study found that awareness is uneven across regions, with better understanding among residents of first-tier cities compared to lower-tier cities, where medical facilities are less advanced.<br /><br />In the study, which involved 1,567 participants from various regions excluding Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau, 51% had heard of palliative care, marking an improvement from the 12% awareness reported in 2020. Among those aware, a large portion still had misunderstandings, such as viewing palliative care as equivalent to euthanasia or only applicable during terminal stages. The study also noted that those aged 50-59 and individuals with higher education levels had better awareness compared to their older or less-educated counterparts.<br /><br />A key finding was that those with religious beliefs and those who underwent tumor resection surgery showed higher awareness and acceptance of palliative care. The study calls for enhanced educational efforts, particularly in less developed regions, to improve understanding and correct misconceptions about palliative care.<br /><br />The research underlines the importance of promoting palliative care knowledge to increase its acceptance and implementation across China's cancer treatment landscape. Future health policies should focus on better dissemination of information and integration of palliative care with standard cancer treatments to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families.

Keywords

palliative care

cancer patients

awareness

knowledge

misconceptions

China

regional disparities

education

health policies

quality of life