Get the Facts on Lung Cancer Treatment Options
In a recent research paper, “Treatment Decision-Making and Decisional Support Experiences Among Lung Cancer Patients” presented by the Cancer Support Community at the 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer Singapore, the authors posited that few patients felt prepared to discuss treatment options with their doctors and sought more support in making such a decision. Cancer Support Community research manager, Kelly Clark, MA noted “Open communication between patients and clinicians about treatment options and cancer experience is a critical step toward collaborative treatment decision making.”
CancerCare Lung Cancer National Program Coordinator Win Boerckel, LCSW-R, MSW, MBA who attended this virtual IASLC program noted, “This paper underscores the importance of providing the newly diagnosed lung cancer patient, as early as possible after diagnosis, with simple, clear patient-sensitive language about their diagnosis and the range of treatment options available to them."
Win shared, “Given the advances in lung cancer screening, comprehensive biomarker testing, targeted therapies and immunotherapy it becomes increasingly important that lung cancer patients and clinicians are able to communicate clearly on personalized planning of their treatments.” To this end, he noted that “CancerCare provides a comprehensive network of informational services for folks coping with any type and stage of lung cancer, including our Connect Education Workshop series Living with Lung Cancer.”