Palliative care in cancer: managing patients' expectations

Advanced cancer patients commonly have misunderstandings about the intentions of treatment and their overall prognosis. Several studies have shown that large numbers of patients receiving palliative radiation or chemotherapy hold unrealistic hopes of their cancer being cured by such therapies, which can affect their ability to make well-informed decisions about treatment options. This review aimed to explore this discrepancy between patients' and physicians' expectations by investigating three primary issues: (1) the factors associated with patients developing unrealistic expectations; (2) the implications of having unrealistic hopes and the effects of raising patients' awareness about prognosis; and (3) patients' and caregivers' perspective on disclosure and their preferences for communication styles. Relevant studies were identified by searching electronic databases including Pubmed, EMBASE and ScienceDirect using multiple combinations of keywords, which yielded a total of 65 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The discrepancy between patients' and doctors' expectations was associated with many factors including doctors' reluctance to disclose terminal prognoses and patients' ability to understand or accept such information. The majority of patients and caregivers expressed a desire for detailed prognostic information; however, varied responses have been reported on the preferred style of conveying such information. Communication styles have profound effects on patients' experience and treatment choices. Patients' views on disclosure are influenced by many cultural, psychological and illness-related factors, therefore individuals' needs must be considered when conveying prognostic information. More research is needed to identify communication barriers and the interventions that could be used to increase patients' satisfaction with palliative care.