ArticleCancer2020
"My doctor says the cancer is worse, but I believe in miracles"-When religious belief in miracles diminishes the impact of news of cancer progression on change in prognostic understanding.
Article in Cancer, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- MEET & MAKE CleaR PROCESS: a new framework for sharing serious information.BMC medical education · 2026Pooled it
- Interventions to Improve Prognostic Understanding in Advanced Stages of Life-Limiting Illness: A Systematic Review.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2022Pooled it
- Artful Oncology: A Comprehensive Psychosocial Oncology Curriculum for Hematology/Oncology Fellows.JCO oncology practice · 2026Article
- Frames of dying: a qualitative study of end-of-life experiences of terminal Arab patients.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Cancer Prognostic Awareness: Relations to Patient and Caregiver Quality of Life and Care Preferences.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2025Article
- Illness understanding and religiousness in patients with recurrent glioblastoma.Neuro-oncology practice · 2025Article
- Communicating about the end of life: The path of prognostic awareness.Palliative & supportive care · 2025Article
- Why is end-of-life inpatient cost high among cancer patients? A prospective cohort study.Cancer medicine · 2024Article
- Both religious and secular ethics to achieve both happiness and health: Panel data results based on a dynamic theoretical model.PloS one · 2024Article
- Communication in Cancer Care in Asia: A Narrative Review.JCO global oncology · 2023Review
- Associations Between Psycho-Social-Spiritual Interventions, Fewer Aggressive End-of-Life Measures, and Increased Time After Final Oncologic Treatment.The oncologist · 2023Article
- Accuracy of curability expectations in patients with gastrointestinal cancers.Cancer medicine · 2023Article
- Turkish imams and their role in decision-making in palliative care: A Directed Content and Narrative analysis.Palliative medicine · 2022Article
- Effects of an Oncology Nurse-Led, Primary Palliative Care Intervention (CONNECT) on Illness Expectations Among Patients With Advanced Cancer.JCO oncology practice · 2022Article
- Honoring Black Hopes: How to respond when the family is hoping for a miracle.F1000Research · 2022Article
- Discussing Prognosis with Empathy to Cancer Patients.Current oncology reports · 2021Review
- For the Love of Alma, Black Hopes Matter.Palliative medicine reports · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNews of cancer progression is critical to setting accurate prognostic understanding, which guides patients' treatment decision making. This study examines whether religious belief in miracles modifies the effect of receiving news of cancer progression on change in prognostic understanding.
methodsIn a multisite, prospective cohort study, 158 patients with advanced cancer, whom oncologists expected to die within 6 months, were assessed before and after the visit at which scan results were discussed. Before the visit, religious belief in miracles was assessed; after the visit, patients indicated what scan results they had received (cancer was worse vs cancer was stable, better, or other). Before and after the visit, prognostic understanding was assessed, and a change score was computed.
resultsApproximately 78% of the participants (n = 123) reported at least some belief in miracles, with almost half (n = 73) endorsing the strongest possible belief. A significant interaction effect emerged between receiving news of cancer progression and belief in miracles in predicting change in prognostic understanding (b = -0.18, P = .04). Receiving news of cancer progression was associated with improvement in the accuracy of prognostic understanding among patients with weak belief in miracles (b = 0.67, P = .007); however, among patients with moderate to strong belief in miracles, news of cancer progression was unrelated to change in prognostic understanding (b = 0.08, P = .64).
conclusionsReligious belief in miracles was highly prevalent and diminished the impact of receiving news of cancer progression on prognostic understanding. Assessing patients' beliefs in miracles may help to optimize the effectiveness of "bad news" scan result discussions.
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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.