A new study suggests that chemotherapy given to terminal cancer patients who aren’t expected to live beyond six months may do more harm than good. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of chemotherapy for terminal patients, especially when weighed against the effects on quality of life. We’ll also look at the high rate of intensive treatments used in the final months for teens dying of cancer.
Study Questions Aggressive Cancer Treatments for Terminal Patients
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Guests:
Holly Prigerson, director, Weill Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care; co-author of "Chemotherapy Use, Performance Status and Quality of Life at the End of Life"
Steven Pantilat, professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the Palliative Care Program Organization, UCSF
Lowell Schnipper, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School; chairman of the task force on value in cancer care for the American Society of Clinical Oncology
Sponsored