This was to describe the emotions that patients face when diagnosed with cancer to know the problems and coping styles that cancer patients experience during the treatment.

The qualitative method was used for this study. The participants were 90 cancer patients at five general hospital in Pusan, Korea. Data were collected by interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire from November 2000 to June 2001, and were analyzed using the modified constant comparative method.

The most common emotions on the diagnosis of cancer were shock(36.7%), followed by despair(25.6%), acceptance(24.4%), denial(18.9%), complaint(16.7%), and fear(8.9%). The problems identified were the unpleasantness and physical discomfort related with the treatment(50.0%), the feelings of burden(41.1%), finance/occupation(38.8%), and fear of the future(26.6%). Coping styles to problems that the subjects have faced on the course of the treatment were compliance(36.6%), health care(31.1%), positive thinking(22.2%), despair/avoidance(15.5%), seeking social support(6.6%), information seeking(3.3%) and self-control(2.2%).

It is very important to develop nursing interventions which can mitigate shock that patients experience, can help cancer patients to have hope for the future and to positively cope with cancer.