Abstract:
Historically, cancer is regarded as a disease with very devastating effects on human beings
because it leads to many deaths across the world, compared to AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria collectively. Cancer diagnosis has impacted negatively on patients and their
immediate families and has caused unbearable consequences. Unlike other chronic diseases,
cancer patients undergo different types of treatments which affect their well-being and as a
result they tend to have different experiences to those of other chronic diseases sufferers.
The study design used was a quantitative cross sectional survey. The purpose was to
investigate the impact of cancer diagnosis on cancer patients in Vhembe district. The target
population included all patients in the Vhembe District of Limpopo, South Africa who have
been diagnosed with cancer in the past six months. Using a probability simple random, a
sample of 207 patients diagnosed with cancer, from seven selected hospitals in Vhembe
District were selected as respondents and a self -administered questionnaire was used to
collect data. Data was analysed using a software package for descriptive statistics (SPSS
version 23). Graphs, tables and charts were used to display the results visually and chi-square
to compare variables. Ethical principles of privacy, anonymity, informed consent were
considered. The findings revealed that cancer diagnosis has negative outcomes as patients
experience physical hardship, psychological stress, financial difficulties, as well as
interference with family and social life. The study recommended that cancer patients and
their families, be supported through the cancer journey.
