Do Recently Diagnosed Black Breast Cancer Patients Find Questions About Cancer Fatalism Acceptable? A Preliminary Report

Excerpt

The authors address an important area in terms of attitudes and beliefs that may influence treatment decisions among newly diagnosed African American breast cancer (patients) survivors. The authors support previous researchers by pointing out the fact that research on the construct of cancer fatalism among persons diagnosed with cancer is sparse, as much of the research on this topic has focused on non-cancer participants and the influence of cancer fatalism on screening behaviors [1‐10]. Findings from this study raise the question of whether the philosophical underpinnings of fatalism, as it relates to screening, change or are perhaps different once an individual becomes a survivor. It has been shown that perceptions of cancer fatalism are not an “all or none phenomenon” and in fact, it may be the strength of these perceptions that influenced screening behaviors as opposed to their presence or absence [8]. …