Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40240634›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Prognostic understanding among patients with advanced cancer recently referred to an enhanced supportive care service: results from the cross-sectional ProgESC study.

Christoph Becker, Joanna Sheppard, Caroline Williams, Lucy Billington, Michaella McCoy, Nicola White, Libby Sallnow, Sabina Hunziker, Katy Burke, Patrick Stone

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Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

10 authors.

Christoph BeckerDivision of Psychiatry, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK. christoph.becker@usb.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6039-4003
Joanna SheppardEnhanced Supportive Care Team, University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, London, UK.
Caroline WilliamsEnhanced Supportive Care Team, University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, London, UK.
Lucy BillingtonEnhanced Supportive Care Team, University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, London, UK.
Michaella McCoyEnhanced Supportive Care Team, University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, London, UK.
Nicola WhiteDivision of Psychiatry, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK.
Libby SallnowDivision of Psychiatry, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK.
Sabina HunzikerMedical Communication, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Katy BurkeEnhanced Supportive Care Team, University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre, London, UK.
Patrick StoneDivision of Psychiatry, Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, University College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePrognostic understanding among patients with life-limiting diseases may help patient to make informed decisions about their care. The aim of our study was to assess the level of prognostic understanding among patients recently referred to an enhanced supportive care (ESC) service, to explore the factors associated with prognostic understanding and its association with patient-relevant outcomes.

methodsAdult patients with metastatic cancer referred to the ESC service between November 13th, 2023, and August 31st, 2024, at the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre London were eligible and completed a structured online questionnaire. The primary endpoint was patients' prognostic understanding assessed with the Prognosis and Treatment Perception Questionnaire. Secondary endpoints included symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured with the General Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), respectively.

resultsOut of 311 patients referred to the ESC, 91 were included in the study. Of these 91 patients, 34 (37.4%) were unaware of their incurable prognosis. In a regression model adjusted for age and gender, being in a relationship was significantly associated with good prognostic understanding (adjusted OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.11 to 6.8, p = 0.03). Patients who had a good prognostic understanding reported fewer symptoms of anxiety (16% vs. 36%; adjusted OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.88, p = 0.03) and depression (23% vs. 45%; adjusted OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.91, p = 0.03).

conclusionA significant proportion of patients with metastatic cancer were unaware that their cancer was not curable at referral to the ESC service. Improving prognostic understanding may help to reduce psychological distress and enhance emotional well-being, supporting better patient-centred ESC care.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsPalliative CareAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAnxietyCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionFemaleHumansLondonMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisReferral and ConsultationSurveys and QuestionnairesAnxietyDepressionPalliative carePrognosisPsychological distressUnderstanding

Identifiers

PMID40240634

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.