Breast cancer: communication and conversation priorities

72% of breast cancer patients and nearly 60% of oncologists report overall satisfaction with the quality of their communication, yet there is a wide gap between what doctors and patients think is important to discuss, according to a new survey commissioned by Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. The survey findings were presented at the 30th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), Texas, USA.

Surveyed patients and oncologists had very different perspectives on which aspects of care should be the focus of their conversations, such as prognosis and issues relating to treatment (long-term effects, risks and benefits, and side effects). Whereas patients placed the greatest priority on their prognosis (47%), oncologists focused most on side effects (59%) - a topic that only 34% of patients considered essential. 57% of doctors, compared with 42% of patients, said that the risks and benefits of treatment were among the most important discussion topics. And, nearly 40% of patients considered the long-term effects of treatment to be a very important discussion topic; however, only 9% of oncologists agreed.