American Society of Clinical Oncology Statement: Toward Individualized Care for Patients With Advanced Cancer
Top Cited Papers
- 20 February 2011
- journal article
- practice guideline
- Published by American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Vol. 29 (6), 755-760
- https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2010.33.1744
Abstract
Patients with advanced incurable cancer face complex physical, psychological, social, and spiritual consequences of disease and its treatment. Care for these patients should include an individualized assessment of the patient's needs, goals, and preferences throughout the course of illness. Consideration of disease-directed therapy, symptom management, and attention to quality of life are important aspects of quality cancer care. However, emerging evidence suggests that, too often, realistic conversations about prognosis, the potential benefits and limitations of disease-directed therapy, and the potential role of palliative care, either in conjunction with or as an alternative to disease-directed therapy, occur late in the course of illness or not at all. This article addresses the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (ASCO's) vision for improved communication with and decision making for patients with advanced cancer. This statement advocates an individualized approach to discussing and providing disease-directed and supportive care options for patients with advanced cancer throughout the continuum of care. Building on ASCO's prior statements on end-of-life care (1998) and palliative care (2009), this article reviews the evidence for improved patient care in advanced cancer when patients' individual goals and preferences for care are discussed. It outlines the goals for individualized care, barriers that currently limit realization of this vision, and possible strategies to overcome these barriers that can improve care consistent with the goals of our patients and evidence-based medical practice.Keywords
This publication has 40 references indexed in Scilit:
- Study: Few Physicians Discussing End-of-Life Options with Advanced-Stage PatientsOncology Times, 2010
- Physician Factors Associated With Discussions About End-of-Life CareCancer, 2010
- Multiple myelomaThe Lancet, 2009
- Palliative Cancer Care a Decade Later: Accomplishments, the Need, Next Steps—From the American Society of Clinical OncologyJournal of Clinical Oncology, 2009
- Update on the therapy for myelodysplastic syndromeAmerican Journal of Hematology, 2009
- Five-Year Follow-up of Patients Receiving Imatinib for Chronic Myeloid LeukemiaThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2006
- Bevacizumab plus Irinotecan, Fluorouracil, and Leucovorin for Metastatic Colorectal CancerThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2004
- CHOP Chemotherapy plus Rituximab Compared with CHOP Alone in Elderly Patients with Diffuse Large-B-Cell LymphomaThe New England Journal of Medicine, 2002
- Use of Chemotherapy plus a Monoclonal Antibody against HER2 for Metastatic Breast Cancer That Overexpresses HER2The New England Journal of Medicine, 2001
- Cancer care during the last phase of life.Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1998