Marie Curie responds to news that palliative chemo can be unnecessary
Comment published
Terminal illness charity, Marie Curie, responds to the news from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges that palliative chemotherapy for terminal cancer patients is unlikely to work and can ‘do more harm than good’.
Professor Bill Noble, Executive Medical Director at Marie Curie said:
“Today the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has said that palliative chemotherapy for terminal cancer patients can do ‘more harm than good’.
“When doctors offer interventions for the very ill, it perpetuates the unrealistic expectations about what doctors can do for patients, especially those with terminal illnesses who might be approaching the end of their lives.”
“It is true that while some people benefit, in some cases the side effects of palliative chemotherapy do more harm than good, and many patients would see more benefit from early access to palliative care as opposed to invasive medical interventions.
“We need to get past the idea that providing palliative care is giving up on a patient. Early access to palliative care will greatly improve quality of life for both patients and their families. Groundbreaking research in the USA showed that palliative care can lengthen survival by reducing the perceived need for chemotherapy when patients are already very ill.
“What the Colleges have also highlighted today is the need for doctors to have proper discussions with patients about the side effects and likely outcomes of palliative chemotherapy.
“These conversations should also include information about what good access to palliative care can achieve for people who are terminally ill. It would give people a chance to have open conversations about treatment options, and what to expect as their condition progresses.”
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Notes to editor
Please note – we are now called ‘Marie Curie’ (not Marie Curie Cancer Care)
Marie Curie – care and support through terminal illness
Marie Curie is the UK’s leading charity for people with any terminal illness. The charity helps people living with a terminal illness and their families make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert hands-on care, emotional support, research and guidance.
Marie Curie employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, and with its nine hospices around the UK, is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.
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