Attitudes to cancer may create a barrier to communication between the patient and caregiver.

The word 'cancer' is feared more than any other disease group, possibly because its course is unpredictable and anyone of any age may be affected. An effective tertiary health promotion programme for the newly diagnosed patient may have an enormous impact on the quality of life of that patient. The key to any health promotion programme is information and communication. Negative attitudes must be identified and dealt with, both patient and health promoter attitudes, before effective communication can take place.