Patients' awareness and desire for information about diagnosed but undisclosed malignant disease

74 hospital patients with diagnosed but undisclosed malignancy were interviewed and observed to ascertain their awareness of their condition and desire for information about it. While 88% either knew or suspected that they had a malignant tumour at admission to the ward, the great majority of them had no wish to augment that knowledge. The fact that their diagnosis or prognosis was not revealed to them allowed many patients to maintain the hope either that they might not have cancer or that the outlook might be favourable.