Medscape: Oncologists Are Not Health Economists, Suggests Survey (U.S. & Canadian physician survey)

Oncologists Are Not Health Economists, Suggests Survey
 
 "Interestingly, responses to the clinical scenario did not significantly differ between American and Canadian oncologist."

Oncologist preferences for health States associated with the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer - (interview with 34 oncologists) - abstract

Objective:
"To explore oncologists' preferences for hypothetical outcome scenarios (i.e. health states) resulting from various treatment options."
Conclusions:
"These data suggest that oncologists may choose treatments that maximize clinical efficacy only when not associated with severe toxicities or low emotional well-being unless associated with a large improvement in efficacy. Physicians may prefer a more toxic chemotherapy regimen that improves survival, and are more willing to compromise emotional well-being for a large survival advantage in the setting of newly diagnosed disease. Slight improvements in clinical efficacy may not be acceptable to oncologists unless associated with higher emotional well-being for the patient."

How Does Older Age Influence Oncologists' Cancer Management? - The Oncologist

Reference to ovarian cancer:
10.  Eisenhauer EL, Tew WP, Levine DA et al. Response and outcomes in elderly patients with stages IIIC-IV ovarian cancer receiving platinum-taxane
chemotherapy. Gynecol Oncol 2007;106:381–387.

Associations Among Cancer Survivorship Discussions, Patient and Physician Expectations, and Receipt of Follow-Up Care - JCO abstract

Note: abstract - 1)  pay-per-view/subscription journal; 2) selected key points:  total study # of patients= 431; breast cancer responses = 52%; gyn cancers = 4%; study did not break down differing gyn cancers; caucasian =94%

full free access: from the series - the Art of Oncology : "Pessimism Is No Poison"

"....The fellow asked the oncologist why he was so pessimistic when talking with the patient. Why did he say things to make the patient and her husband cry? Shouldn't he have given the patient more hope? Would it not have been better for the patient to hear this dire news in chunks over the course of several clinic visits? After all, the patient was so young she may just beat the odds....."