Some Social-demographic Characteristics of Patients Self-referred for a Clinical Trial of Laetrile

Abstract

Historically, there has been a documented trend for some terminally ill cancer patients to turn to unorthodox treatment methods. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, data were collected on 15 patients who were self-referred for a clinical trial of laetrile. As a group, they appeared to be typical middle-class people: they lived in urban areas, were above average in education, had stable job histories, and had well-developed social support networks. Some of the data suggested, however, that this group of patients differed from typical cancer patients in several ways. A substantial proportion did not comply with the recommended treatment; expressed ambivalent, noncommittal, or negative feelings about conventional medical care; and had a history of emotional difficulties. Like most behaviors, the decision to pursue unorthodox treatment is influenced by many factors: intrapsychic, interpersonal, sociological, and cultural. AIthough the small size of the sample precluded drawing any conclusions about why these patients sought laetrile treatment, the author believes that the study was valuable in sensitizing professionals to the multifaceted motivations behind the behavior and in cautioning them against resorting to stereotypes when dealing with it.