ArticleBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2008
What oncologists tell patients about survival benefits of palliative chemotherapy and implications for informed consent: qualitative study.
Article in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effect of Disclosing Life Expectancy Information on Patients' Prognostic Understanding: Secondary Outcomes From a Multicenter Randomized Trial of a Palliative Chemotherapy Educational Intervention.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2021Trial
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- Teaching Conflicts of Interest and Shared Decision-Making to Improve Risk Communication: a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2020Trial
- Training for Medical Oncologists on Shared Decision-Making About Palliative Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The oncologist · 2019Trial
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- Quality of life utility-Core 10 dimensions (QLU-C10D) scores based on cancer patients' health preferences are more sensitive than those based on general public's health preferences.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- 'Is it my last Christmas?' Using real-world data as a prompt to reflect on goal-concordant advanced lung cancer care-a retrospective, longitudinal study.BJC reports · 2025Article
- Developing a patient-based utility value set for the EORTC QLU-C10D using the OPUF method in Chinese cancer patients.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
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- A qualitative evaluation of factors influencing Tumor Treating fields (TTFields) therapy decision making among brain tumor patients and physicians.BMC cancer · 2024Article
- Blended online learning for oncologists to improve skills in shared decision making about palliative chemotherapy: a pre-posttest evaluation.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023Article
- One-year Mortality of Cancer Patients with an Unplanned ICU Admission: A Cohort Analysis Between 2008 and 2017 in the Netherlands.Journal of intensive care medicine · 2022Article
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- Treatment Limitation Decisions in Critically Ill Patients With a Malignancy on the Intensive Care Unit.Journal of intensive care medicine · 2021Article
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- Perceived factors to providing palliative care for patients with cancer - a qualitative systematic review.Oncology reviews · 2020Article
- The Stage IV Shuffle: Elusiveness of Straight Talk About Advanced Cancer.Journal of general internal medicine · 2019Article
- Neck of femur fracture: Previous history of malignancy is not an indication to send femoral head for routine histology.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine how much oncologists tell patients about the survival benefit of palliative chemotherapy during consultations at which decisions about treatment are made.
designQualitative study in which consultations were observed and digitally recorded.
settingTeaching hospital and district general hospital in south west England.
participants37 patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (n=12), pancreatic cancer (n=13), and colorectal cancer (n=12); and nine oncologists, including four consultants and five registrars.
main outcome measuresAll recordings were transcribed completely, anonymised, and electronically coded with ATLAS.ti. Constant comparison was used to identify themes and patterns. The framework method of data management, in which data were charted, was used to aid transparency of interpretation.
resultsDuring the consultations, information given to patients about survival benefit included numerical data ("about four weeks"), an idea of timescales ("a few months extra"), vague references ("buy you some time"), or no mention at all. In most consultations (26/37) discussion of survival benefit was vague or non-existent.
conclusionsMost patients were not given clear information about the survival gain of palliative chemotherapy. To aid decision making and informed consent, we recommend that oncologists sensitively describe the benefits and limitations of this treatment, including survival gain.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.