SUPPORTIVE CARE INTERNATIONAL Information to cancer patients: a questionnaire survey in three different geographical areas in Italy R. Bracci & E. Zanon & R. Cellerino & R. Gesuita & F. Puglisi & G. Aprile & V. Barbieri & D. Misuraca & S. Venuta & F. Carle & A. Piga Received: 16 August 2007 / Accepted: 6 December 2007 / Published online: 26 January 2008 # Springer-Verlag 2007 Abstract Goals of work The way to inform cancer patients varies widely among different countries. In most Mediterranean countries, the traditional approach has been of partial disclosure of the truth. The intent of our work was to find if the attitude in Italy has changed in recent years and if differences still exist among different geographical regions in our country. Both patients’ and physicians’ attitudes vary in Italy depending on geographical area. In the South, the focus is on traditional values and full involvement of patients’ family, with limited communication to (and limited autonomy of) the patient. Such attitude is less pronounced in Central Italy, whereas the North is more oriented to open communication and full decisional autonomy of the patient. Materials and methods Approximately 600 consecutive patients in three different centres in Northern, Central and Southern Italy (respectively, Udine, Ancona and Catanzaro) were asked to answer a 26-item questionnaire on commu- nication aspects to investigate the quality of the information given and potential differences between geographical areas. Results Questionnaires were completed by 587 patients (median age 60 years, 57% women), mainly with gastroin- testinal (32%) or breast cancer (30%). About 370 patients (63%) had active disease at time of interview. A high proportion of patients were correctly informed on diagnosis (86%) and therapy (84%). On the contrary, patients fully aware of their prognosis were only about 43%. Nevertheless, most patients (60%) stated they were completely satisfied with the information received. There were differences between geographical areas on various information aspects, with patients from Southern Italy being, in general, less informed. Conclusions In Italy, the cultural attitude towards commu- nication in oncology is changing on both the physician and the patient side. There are still significant geographical differences, but there is a general trend suggesting improved awareness about diagnosis and treatment, with the notable exception of prognosis. Keywords Communication . Information . Cancer . Diagnosis . Prognosis Introduction The issue of whether, how and how much to tell cancer patients is still approached differently, depending on country and culture [1]. In both developed and developing countries, the majority of physicians tell the truth more frequently than in the past, although in some geographical areas still the prevailing attitude is to disclose the truth to the next of kin rather than to the patient [2–7]; despite that, this attitude may not meet patients’ preferences [8–10]. Support Care Cancer (2008) 16:869–877 DOI 10.1007/s00520-007-0375-z R. Bracci : R. Cellerino Department of Medical Oncology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy E. Zanon : F. Puglisi : G. Aprile : A. Piga (*) Department of Medical Oncology, University of Udine, Piazza S. M. Misericordia, 33100 Udine, Italy e-mail: andrea.piga@uniud.it R. Gesuita : F. Carle Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy V. Barbieri : D. Misuraca : S. Venuta Department of Medical Oncology, University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy