CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Vol 17, 7-14, Copyright
© 1967 by American Cancer Society
Cancer and the Problem of Pessimism
Eric C. Easson M.D., M.R.C.P., F.F.R.1
1 Director of Radiotherapy, Christie Hospital & Holt Radium Institute, Withington, Manchester, England.
After graduation, the average physician is unlikely to acquire sufficient personal experience of malignant disease to provide a basis for prognosis. A reliable knowledge of prognostic criteria can only be acquired by reference to substantial statistical reports, and this is best provided during undergraduate training.
The studies reported here demonstrate a lack of knowledge of what can be done for the favorable case, and they further disclose a substantial degree of pessimism about cancer in general. This pessimism differs little between postgraduates and undergraduates, and indeed is probably not much better than that found in the general public. What, it may be asked, is the outcome of a consultation between a pessimistic patient and an equally pessimistic physician?
There is a need for further study of doctors' attitudes to cancer, and also to its prevention and treatment. There is a need to inquire into the impact of cancer education on doctors, as well as their patients, especially at their vital point of contact—in the consulting room.
