Gaps in patients’ understanding of palliative chemotherapy. Can we better communicate that treatment is not curative?

ABSTRACT Introduction and Areas covered: Misunderstanding in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy is common. 50% of cancer chemotherapy is given with palliative intent. Many patients receiving chemotherapy for incurable cancer may not understand that chemotherapy is unlikely to be curative. Cancer patients expect to share treatment decisions with their oncologist. Provision of a question prompt list (QPL) and endorsement by physicians enhances patient participation in consultations and promotes patient questions about prognosis. Audio-recordings of oncologist consultations with newly detected incurable cancer patients document that most patients were informed about the aim of cancer treatment and that their disease was incurable. Oncologists checked patient understanding in only 10% of consultations. Expert commentary: This review identifies gaps in patient understanding of palliative chemotherapy and examines incurable cancer patients expectations of treatment.