SPIRITUAL AND RELIGIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF PATIENTS WITH CANCER THAT GO TO THE JAVERIANAN CENTER OF ONCOLOGY

This work was based on the interest on the relation between cancer, spirituality and religiosity in grow uppatients of the Centro Javeriano de Oncología. The research was aimed to describe and analyze therelations between spiritual and religious variables defined in the specialized literature, and sociodemographicand oncological characteristics in these patients. Through a semi structured-interview validated byexperts, spiritual and religious behaviors were identified, including the different types of cancer, the stateof it (acute, chronic or remission) and the response to treatment. Besides, the aim was to analyze therelation between spirituality and religiosity, given the difficulty found in the literature to establish itsboundaries. A descriptive-correlated methodological design was proposed, with an intentional sampleof 100 patients who participated voluntarily through a semi-structured interview. Other type of informationwas obtained in the clinical history of every single patient. Results were analyzed by descriptive,correlated and comparative statistical tests in addition to qualitative analyses of open questions. Resultsare consistent to specialized literature about the narrow relation between spirituality and religiosity, and inshowing its increment after being diagnosed with cancer. Results also confirm the effect on supportingand wellbeing of religiosity and spirituality. Most of the participants did not differentiate between bothof them.