AbstractObjective: To assess the levels of Chinese cancer patients’ awareness of disease status, and analyze the correlation between the awareness of disease status and quality of life, anxiety, depression, dignity. Methods: By cross-sectional investigation, cancer patients who were hospitalized in the fourth hospital of Hebei Medical University were selected as the research objects. According to the interview with patients, the degree of knowledge about the disease was evaluated. The self-assessment scale of anxiety and depression (SAS, SDS), dignity scale (PDI) and quality of life questionnaire (QLQ-C30) were used to investigate the relationship between the state of being informed and the patients' quality of life, anxiety, depression and dignity. Results: A total of 457 cancer patients were included in the study, 308 of whom (67.40%) were in advanced stage of cancer. Among them, 73 patients (15.97%) were completely unknown, 145 (31.73%) were partially informed, and 239 (52.30%) were fully informed. 85 patients (18.60%) had anxiety, 333 patients (72.87%) had depression, 69 patients (15.10%) had anxiety and depression at the same time, 423 patients (92.56%) had different degrees of dignity damage. Partial correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between the degree of informed disease and multiple dimensions of quality of life (emotional function, cognitive function, social function, fatigue, appetite reduction symptoms and economic difficulties) (P<0.05), anxiety (rs = -0.132, P = 0.005) and dignity impairment (rs = -0.096, P = 0.041). Conclusion: Nearly 50% of cancer patients have no or incomplete knowledge of their condition. The lower the level of patients' knowledge of their condition, the worse the quality of life, the more easily their dignity is damaged, and the more likely they are to have negative emotions, especially anxiety. In clinical work, we should try our best to take appropriate methods to let patients know their own conditions, which is conducive to improving the quality of life of patients, improving their negative emotions, so as to better implement the whole process of cancer diagnosis and treatment strategy.
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2019, Vol. 25 
