Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36050628›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2022

Characteristics of patients with advanced cancer preferring not to know prognosis: a multicenter survey study.

Naomi C A van der Velden, Hanneke W M van Laarhoven, Sjaak A Burgers, Lizza E L Hendriks, Filip Y F L de Vos, Anne-Marie C Dingemans, Joost Jansen, Jan-Maarten W van Haarst, Joyce Dits, Ellen Ma Smets and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Potential Adverse Outcomes of Shared Decision Making about Palliative Cancer Treatment: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Trial.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2024
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  10. Cancer prognosis information-seeking among survivors and caregivers: findings from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024
    Article
  11. A qualitative study on the healthcare experiences of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with an uncertain or poor cancer prognosis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Perception of prognosis and health-related quality of life in patients with advanced cancer: results of a multicentre observational study (eQuiPe).Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2023
    Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Naomi C A van der VeldenDepartment of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. n.c.vandervelden@amsterdamumc.nl.
Hanneke W M van LaarhovenDepartment of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sjaak A BurgersDepartment of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek Ziekenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Lizza E L HendriksDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Filip Y F L de VosDepartment of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Anne-Marie C DingemansDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Joost JansenDepartment of Pulmonary Diseases, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Jan-Maarten W van HaarstDepartment of Respiratory Medicine and Department of Surgery, Tergooi Ziekenhuis, Hilversum, The Netherlands.
Joyce DitsDepartment of Pulmonology, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Ellen Ma SmetsDepartment of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Inge HenselmansDepartment of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Funding

Dutch Cancer Society, Netherlands 11547
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor some patients with advanced cancer not knowing prognosis is essential. Yet, in an era of informed decision-making, the potential protective function of unawareness is easily overlooked. We aimed to investigate 1) the proportion of advanced cancer patients preferring not to know prognosis; 2) the reasons underlying patients' prognostic information preference; 3) the characteristics associated with patients' prognostic information preference; and 4) the concordance between physicians' perceived and patients' actual prognostic information preference.

methodsThis is a cross-sectional study with structured surveys (PROSPECT). Medical and thoracic oncologists included patients (n = 524), from seven Dutch hospitals, with metastatic/inoperable cancer and an expected median overall survival of ≤ 12 months. For analysis, descriptive statistics and logistic regression models were used.

resultsTwenty-five to 31% of patients preferred not to know a general life expectancy estimate or the 5/2/1-year mortality risk. Compared to patients preferring to know prognosis, patients preferring unawareness more often reported optimism, avoidance and inability to comprehend information as reasons for wanting limited information; and less often reported expectations of others, anxiety, autonomy and a sense of control as reasons for wanting complete information. Females (p < .05), patients receiving a further line of systemic treatment (p < .01) and patients with strong fighting spirit (p < .001) were more likely to prefer not to know prognosis. Concordance between physicians' perceived and patients' actual prognostic information preference was poor (kappa = 0.07).

conclusionsWe encourage physicians to explore patients' prognostic information preferences and the underlying reasons explicitly, enabling individually tailored communication. Future studies may investigate changes in patients' prognostic information preferences over time and examine the impact of prognostic disclosure on patients who prefer unawareness.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPhysician-Patient RelationsCommunicationCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansPatient PreferencePrognosisCommunicationCross-sectional studiesDisclosureNeoplasm metastasisPalliative carePatient PreferencePhysician–patient relationsPrognosis

Identifiers

PMID36050628
PMCPMC9434918

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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.