[Patient autonomy: from the clinical routine of an oncologic department]

Advance directives are an important help for physicians, patients and relatives when it comes to evaluating the patients wishes and preferences in the terminal phase of life. They also help to safeguard the patients right of self-determination. When the directives are clearly expressed and of recent date, they should be accepted without question. At present, only a few patients make use of this right, and we doctors should be in future inform patients more often about it.