ABSTRACT

End-of-life (EOL) issues must be faced when dealing with cancer patients or others with terminal diseases. Despite improved surgical, medical, and preventive strategies, life comes to an end. For cancer patients, this may be life closing out after successful and curative treatment, or it may be somewhere during the course of the disease or its treatment. Society in general and cancer patients in particular should engage in planning how life will end. Patients expect their physicians to be confident and competent in providing care when they develop a life-threatening illness. Yet many physicians are uncomfortable communicating bad news and prognoses, and some fear addiction will result from control of symptoms (1).