Conversations on Patient Priorities and Preferences Should Take Place Before Treatment

With so many cancer treatment options now available, clinicians may still fall short in understanding what’s important to patients.

With so many treatment options now available, clinicians may still fall short in incorporating the priorities and preferences of patients into treatment, according to Ellen Miller-Sonet.

At the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, Sonet — who is the chief strategy and policy officer for CancerCare® — discussed the conversations that should be taking place between patients and their physician before cancer treatment even begins.

“Both the clinician and the patient need to have a conversation so that treatment options can be eliminated if they’re really inappropriate for what’s important to the patient,” she said.