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In a new policy statement, the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends steps to ensure that physicians initiate candid discussions about the full range of palliative care and treatment options soon after patients? diagnosis with advanced cancer.
In a new policy statement, the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends steps to ensure that physicians initiate candid discussions about the full range of palliative care and treatment options soon after patients’ diagnosis with advanced cancer.
ASCO has also released a guide to help patients with advanced cancer broach difficult conversations about their prognosis, treatment, and palliative care options with their physicians.
"Studies show that palliative therapies not only improve patient quality of life, but can even extend life," said ASCO President George W. Sledge, Jr, MD. "Yet for many with advanced cancer, conversations about palliative and hospice options do not occur until the patients’ final weeks or days of life, if they happen at all. This not only hurts patients, but their caregivers as well."
The policy statement outlines essential elements of care for patients with advanced cancer and identifies the barriers that currently prevent advance cancer care planning conversations between physicians and patients. The elements identified by ASCO to individualize advanced cancer care include the following points:
The policy statement was published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Jan. 24, 2011).