The percentage of patients participating in the study is low and may not represent the patient population as a whole. Patients who participated consistently responded that they have a right to know their condition, that they expect physicians to inform them and that they want to be informed if they have a life-threatening illness. Similar results have been reported for patients with serious illness4 and, specifically, in patients with ovarian cancer.5 In every age group, the more education patients have, the more they wish to be told. This description applies whether the patients see their doctor infrequently or have a chronic illness necessitating frequent physician visits. The older patients are, the more they want their family to know details of their condition. A recent study in Japan also found education to be a determining factor.