Interesting and promising article... long-overdue... jbwMD
American Society of Clinical Oncology Statement: Toward Individualized Care for Patients With Advanced Cancer
Jeffrey M. Peppercorn, Thomas J. Smith, Paul R. Helft, David J. DeBono, Scott R. Berry, Dana S. Wollins, Daniel M. Hayes, Jamie H. Von Roenn, and Lowell E. Schnipper
http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/doi/10.1200/JCO.2010.33.1744
"Although widespread availability and awareness of quality palliative care services have improved options for patients with advanced cancer, the transition from a focus on disease-directed treatment to an emphasis on palliative care all too often occurs within days of the end of life. Conversations regarding prognosis, likely outcomes from available interventions, and alternatives or complementary interventions to disease-directed therapy, aimed at establishing the goals of care in the setting of a terminal illness, happen late in the course of treatment or not at all, despite our collective agreement that this is a critically important component of high-quality patient care.
"There is a need to change the paradigm for advanced cancer care to include an earlier and more thorough assessment of patients’ options, goals, and preferences, and to tailor the care that we deliver to these individual needs throughout the continuum of care. Below, we outline the goals for individualized care, barriers that currently limit realization of this vision, and strategies that may overcome these barriers and can improve care consistent with the wishes of our patients and evidence-based medical practice."
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