Soon after diagnosing a patient with advanced cancer, a doctor should begin discussing options for palliative care—the management of symptoms—according to a new policy statement from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).  ASCO also released a new, free guide called Advanced Cancer Care Planning for patients to help initiate those conversations.

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Briefly:

A video can help patients make personal decisions about end-of-life care.  Cancer death rates are falling in Europe, partly led by recent colorectal cancer declines.

Avastin will now be covered for a longer time for people with advanced colorectal cancer in Ontario.  The Wellness Community in Valley/Ventura, California has a free workshop scheduled for December 19th featuring Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz. Read the rest of this entry »

When the family is gathered on Thanksgiving or during the upcoming holidays, have a difficult — but critical — talk together.

You can save anguish and conflict when a family member is close to death by knowing what their wishes are.  You can help your family know what you want, as well.  The Engage with Grace slide helps to start the conversation

You can  download one slide from Engage with Grace to start your family’s discussion. Read the rest of this entry »

When patients have a sense of mutual understanding, caring, and trust with their physicians they form a therapeutic alliance that makes a difference in care at the end of their life.

When the therapeutic alliance was strong, patients were less likely to spend time in an intensive care unit in the last week of life.  They also had better emotional acceptance of their terminal illness. Read the rest of this entry »

When advanced cancer patients talk with their doctors about preparing for the end of their lives, they have a better quality of life as death approaches.  They aren’t more likely to be depressed, and they receive less aggressive care in the last week of life.

Because it is frightening and uncomfortable, many patients don’t bring up the subject with their doctors.  Doctors avoid end-of-life discussions because they, too, find them uncomfortable and because they fear depressing patients or causing emotional problems. Read the rest of this entry »