Patient-Centered Cancer Treatment Planning: Improving the Quality of Oncology Care. Workshop Summary

摘要

Each year about 1.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer in the United States (ACS, 2010), and must then decide on a course of care. Cancer treatment often involves multiple options and specialties; it can be toxic, costly, intense, and protracted and may involve serious long-term complications. In addition, responses to cancer treatments are quite variable, so predicting the potential risks and benefits of various treatment options for individual patients is often difficult. Because of the complexity of treatment choices, coupled with the life-threatening nature of cancer and its emotional repercussions, it is often difficult for people with cancer to make decisions about their care. The fragmented nature of the cancer care system (IOM, 1999) also presents challenges that may impede coordinated care and the development of comprehensive treatment plans.