This qualitative empirical study aims to explore healthy people's beliefs regarding end-stage cancer treatment and how it relates to treatment decision-making by adapting the Health-belief Model as a theoretical framework in Bandung City, Indonesia.

This research was conducted using a semi-structured interview method, with a scenario where the informant, a relative, or a friend was diagnosed with end-stage cancer. Interviews were conducted in September–November 2020 with eight individuals in Bandung City, one of the major cities in Indonesia with 2.5 million residents, predominantly Sundanese-Malayan Muslims. Informants were interviewed based on theoretical sampling selection, and interview recordings became verbatim transcripts for thematic analysis.

Nine themes were found to describe how the people of Bandung perceived end-stage cancer treatment; they were: the meaning of health and quality of life, knowledge of medical indications, cue to action, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and treatment preferences. Informants prefer curative-dose therapy with non-physical palliative approaches, chemo-palliative, palliative care with symptomatic and pain management, and alternative therapies such as traditional and herbal medicine.

The themes demonstrate accordance with the health-belief model theory. Adapting healthy peoples’ health-belief on end-stage cancer treatment may encourage a more ethical and satisfactory framework for treatment decision-making, preventing cancer from falling into end-stage, and preventing cancer in general.