Chemo for Incurable Cancer in Young Patients?
Researchers are now saying that parents of children who have incurable forms of cancer tend to prefer to continue aggressive chemotherapy rather than pursue end-of-life care.
The study found that if given the choice, health care professionals would choose to treat the sick minor children simply to alleviate parentsı discomfort, even if the treatment had no likelihood of being successful. According to Dr. Lillian Sung, of the division of hematology and oncology at the Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto said, ıThe choice between palliative chemotherapy and supportive care alone is one of the most important and difficult decisions for parents of children whose disease cannot be cured.ı
While working on the study, researchers compared the treatment of preferences of 77 parents who had children with incurable cancers, to those of 128 doctors and health care professionals, including doctors, residents, nurses and social workers, who care for children with incurable cancers. They found that 55% of parents preferred to try chemotherapy rather than simply opt for supportive care. Only 16% of health care professionals would have made the same choice.
Parents placed a high value on their childıs quality of life, but according to the study, also generally chose to go with chemotherapy even if it would reduce their quality of life, or even survival time. Researchers pointed out the reason for the discrepancy. One reason could be that professionals viewed supportive care in a more positive light than parents. The professionalsı previous experiences with other children in similar circumstances might possibly be a factor. Generally, parents remained hopeful that their child had a chance to survive, regardless of a poor diagnosis.
Sungıs team explained that, ıThis study is important because it highlights the incongruity between the preferences of parents and health care workers. However, it may be that this incongruity makes a greater concern: miscommunication or unrealistic expectations.ı
The authors of the study concluded that health care professionals should be aware of the parentıs views on chemotherapy and be diligent in communication about their childrenıs quality of life and survival before making any decisions on treatment.
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