[Cancer diagnosis announcement: an act to seal the pact of trust between doctors and patients].
The announcement of the cancer diagnosis, an important moment in the set up of the doctor/patient relationship, must come together, if possible, with a quality of communication. This announcement is never insignificant, often traumatic both for the one who receives it and sometimes for the person who provides it. It must observe some rules of temporality, in its enunciation and take into account the psychological defences of patient's mechanisms. More accessible, but also more complex medical information is supposed to be more transparent, taking into account the wishes of patients considered as full actors of their health. As such, the announcement of bad news is in a relationship of care, trust represents the start of a full therapeutic act. One of the challenges of the diagnosis announcement remains the education of patients and physicians to encourage better adaptation to the disease and its treatments. This education can only take place in a pluridisciplinarity in order to optimize care. The diagnosis announcement must continuously oscillate between fair distance and proximity while respecting the autonomy, dignity and freedom of patient's choice. The respect of ethical principles will prevent incomprehension phenomena and seal the pact of trust between doctors and patients.
Reich
Michel
M
Equipe de psycho-oncologie, Centre Oscar-Lambret, 3, rue Frédéric-Combemale, 59020 Lille BP 307, France. m-reich@o-lambret.fr
Vennin
Philippe
P
Belkacémi
Yazid
Y
D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics; D014342:Truth Disclosure / Q000941:ethics