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Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unlocking the Mysteries of Oral Potential Malignancies
Published on: August 11, 2023
Patient's perceptions of oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis disclosure: communication aspects based on SPIKES
Carolina G B Alves1, Ana Carolina Prado Ribeiro1, Thaís Bianca Brandão1
1Oral Diagnosis Department, Semiology Area, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Dental Oncology Service, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, University of São Paulo Medical School (ICESP-FMUSP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Objective:
Breaking bad medical news is a complex task of clinical practice. The manner in which this is done has a significant impact on patients. This study aimed to assess patient's perceptions regarding oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis disclosure according to the "SPIKES" protocol.
Study Design:
This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire with 21 SPIKES-based items. The questionnaire was administered to 100 patients with recently diagnosed oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma who evaluated each item according to their preference and experience.
Results:
Nineteen items showed a significant difference between patient's preference and recalled experience. Eighteen of these items showed lower experience scores primarily related to the amount of information desired by patients, presence of a companion, time to express feelings, and summary of information. Most patients preferred receiving as much information as possible about the diagnosis. However, only 35% reported that they had obtained sufficient information. Patients who were aware of cancer diagnostic suspicion had better communication experiences.
Conclusions:
Protocols may be useful to guide health professionals to support patient-centered strategies to disclose oral cancer diagnoses.
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