Advanced cancer patients often unaware of life expectancies, effects of chemotherapy, according to perspective

Jun 11 2008

Patients with advanced cancer often are not aware of their life expectancies or the effect that chemotherapy will have on their lives, according to a perspective published on Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports.

The perspective -- written by Sarah Harrington, an assistant professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and Thomas Smith, chair of hematology and oncology at the VCU Massey Cancer Center -- indicates that patients with advanced cancer often do not receive such information from their physicians or misunderstand the information they receive.

Harrington said that more than 20% of Medicare beneficiaries with advanced cancer begin new chemotherapy regimens two weeks before they die, although the treatments will not benefit them. Only 37% of physicians inform patients with advanced cancer of their life expectancies, and only 31% of such patients discuss death with their physicians, according to the perspective. In addition, according to the perspective, one-third of patients with advanced, incurable lung cancer believe that their treatment seeks to cure their condition, although their physicians informed them about their therapy and prognosis.

Patients with advanced cancer should ask their physicians questions about the effect that chemotherapy will have on their lives and other treatment options, Smith said (Szabo, USA Today, 6/11).

An abstract of the perspective is available online.