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Patient End-of-life Choices Limited by Physician Outlook
September 01, 2004Quality of life and care for terminally ill patients is often dictated by the specific options and treatment recommendations offered by their doctors, according to a study published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer.
900 members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists were surveyed to determine their opinions and decisions regarding end-of-life choices and patients with incurable diseases. Results revealed that a physician's level of comfort in discussing death, his medical ethics training, and his religious affiliations were pertinent factors affecting the options presented to terminally ill patients.
The physicians surveyed represent a unique group, as they treat patients both surgically and medically. Their influence in the conversations between patient and doctor regarding life-sustaining decisions are significant, affecting a patient's last days with family or hope from further treatments that may or may not be futile. Findings highlight "straight talk" and "compassion" as some of the key aspects in these conversations. However, of those surveyed, "8% of physicians would avoid telling a patient that they have a terminal condition" while only "75% would disclose to patients with inoperable cervical cancer before initiating treatment, that their disease is incurable."
"It is important to recognize opportunities to help physicians to speak about their concerns and to improve conversations about breaking bad news," says Dr. Lois Ramondetta, author of the published study. A team approach involving nurses, clergy, physicians and psychiatrists, educational workshops and taped practice sessions were among those methods favored to help change current approaches in improving patient awareness and options.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
"It is important to recognize opportunities to help physicians to speak about their concerns and to improve conversations about breaking bad news," says Dr. Lois Ramondetta, author of the published study. A team approach involving nurses, clergy, physicians and psychiatrists, educational workshops and taped practice sessions were among those methods favored to help change current approaches in improving patient awareness and options.
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Cancer Current Events and Cancer News RSSDeaths from lung cancer could be reduced by better policies to control indoor radon
About 1100 people each year die in the UK from lung cancer related to indoor radon, but current government protection policies focus mainly on the small number of homes with high radon levels and neglect the 95% of radon related deaths caused by lower levels of radon, according to a study published on bmj.com today.
Protein's essential role in repairing damaged cells revealed
University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a key protein in cells plays a critical role in not one, but two processes affecting the development of cancer.
Interpretation Time for Screening Digital Mammograms: Is it Efficient?
Digital mammograms take longer to interpret than film-screen mammograms, according to a study performed at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
Scientists can now differentiate between healthy cells and cancer cells
One of the current handicaps of cancer treatments is the difficulty of aiming these treatments at destroying malignant cells without killing healthy cells in the process.
Team finds breast cancer gene linked to disease spread
A team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in 30 to 40 percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death.
New hope for cancer comes straight from the heart
Digitalis-based drugs like digoxin have been used for centuries to treat patients with irregular heart rhythms and heart failure and are still in use today. In the Dec. 16 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine now report that this same class of drugs may hold new promise as a treatment for cancer.
Cell Biologists Identify New Tumor Suppressor for Lung Cancer
Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer.
Errors involving medications common in outpatient cancer treatment
Seven percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs in outpatient clinics or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications.
Grape-seed extract kills laboratory leukemia cells, proving value of natural compounds
An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide, according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract.
In lung cancer, silencing one crucial gene disrupts normal functioning of genome
While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, a team of international researchers has discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism.
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