Beliefs of cancer patients in Saudi Arabia.

To examine oncology patients' beliefs about the transmissible nature of cancer or its treatments and to determine the correlates thereof. Cross-sectional. Sixty-nine hospital outpatients completed the questionnaire.: Beliefs about the spread of cancer, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy with physical contact, along with demographic, social, psychological, health-related characteristics were assessed by questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate analyses identified correlations between these beliefs and patient characteristics. A percentage (5.8%) believed their cancer could spread like an infection or be transmitted through sexual or nonsexual contact and 15.9% were unsure. Even more (13.0%) believed that chemotherapy could spread through sexual or nonsexual contact and 18.8% were unsure. Likewise, many believed (10.1%) that radiation therapy could spread through sexual or nonsexual contact and 21.7% were unsure. Obsessions with contamination were most strongly associated with such beliefs ( = 0.73, SE = 0.09,  < .0001). Beliefs about the spread of cancer or its treatments are not uncommon in Saudi Arabia, where cultural beliefs and tradition strongly influence healthcare decisions.