A new study found that “many people with advanced cancer report that their treatment does not align with their personal care goals.”
The findings revealed that “37% of patients with advanced cancer who preferred treatment that prioritizes relieving symptoms and maintaining comfort felt that their actual care was instead focused more on prolonging life. In contrast, only 19% of patients with other serious illnesses such as advanced heart failure or [COPD] reported this kind of mismatch.”
The research team conducted a “post-hoc cross-sectional analysis using baseline survey data from a multi-site clinical trial focused on advance care planning for patients with serious illnesses, including advanced cancer.” 1,100 patients ended up participating in the study.
The researchers found that “patients with advanced cancer and those with other serious illnesses had similar care preferences, with about 25% in both groups preferring treatment aimed at extending life, while around 49% preferred care focused on comfort and symptom relief. However, 51% of patients with advanced cancer were more likely to report that their actual care focused on extending life, compared to 35% of patients with other serious illnesses. Meanwhile, only 19% of patients with advanced cancer felt their care focused on comfort, compared to 28% of patients with other illnesses.”
The team “also found no significant difference in two-year survival between patients who reported receiving life-extending treatment and those who reported receiving comfort-focused care (24% vs. 15% mortality).”
