Table 2

 Reasons why patients refuse a recommended oncological treatment

Believe in the body’s own curative possibilities
Do not want a stoma
Do not want to be ill due to the treatment
Do not want to be used as a guinea pig
Do not want to enter into menopause, still wanting a child
Do not want to fight anymore
Do not want to lose a breast
Do not want to lose hair
Do not want to reach old age with dementia, incontinence, and dependency
Do not want to spend valuable time in hospital
Have accepted death
Have a lot to cope with, want to take time to do that
Have already reached old age
Have fear of treatment
Have no trust in treatment/medical establishment
Resist chemotherapy; consider it poison
Treatment decreases quality of life
Treatment will not result in cure, is only life prolonging
Want to continue playing tennis, making paintings, or walking in the mountains
Want to stay in control
Want to take responsibility for themselves
Want to work on the initial cause of the cancer, not just removing the symptoms