title: Patients with advanced cancer: a survey of the understanding of their illness and expectations from palliative radiotherapy for symptomatic metastases.
abstract: We conducted a pilot study to examine patients' understanding of their illness and their expectations for palliative radiotherapy for symptomatic metastases. Participants were asked to complete a survey consisting of seven questions prior to the initial consultation. Demographic details and information on extent of disease were collected. Patients were asked to score their symptom distress using the modified Edmonton Symptom Assessment System. Sixty patients participated in the pilot study between January and April 1999. Their median age was 68 years (range 46-90). The most common primary tumours were lung, prostate and breast. Twenty-one patients (35%) believed that their cancer was curable. Twelve (20%) expected that palliative radiotherapy would cure their advanced cancer and 23 (38%) believed that palliative radiotherapy would prolong their lives. Twenty-one patients (35%) had concerns about the effectiveness of radiation therapy and twenty (33%) had concerns about the side-effects of radiotherapy. Fifty-two (87%) were not familiar with the concept of radiation treatment. Forty-seven patients (78%) reported that they were not given information about the radiation treatment; 51 (85%) were not satisfied with the information that their own doctors had provided regarding radiation treatment prior to the consultation at our clinic. A significant proportion of the patients in this pilot study had misconceptions regarding their illness and unrealistic expectations from palliative radiotherapy. We plan to provide educational pamphlets for use in referring doctors' surgeries and clinics in order to inform patients of the nature, rationale and anticipated benefits and side-effects of palliative radiotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Toronto-Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Canada. edward.chow@tsrcc.on.ca
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vachon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hruby
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Franssen
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harth
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pach
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schueller
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stefaniuk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szumacher
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hayter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Danjoux
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D014342:Truth Disclosure