Communicating with Patients with Advanced Cancer

Effective communication between the patients, families, and the healthcare team is essential to providing quality patient care. This is true for patients at any point on the cancer trajectory, but especially important for patients with advanced cancer. This chapter describes many of the key communication needs and challenges of patients with advanced cancer and their caregivers and suggest strategies to communicate effectively about these complex issues. Some of the important communication tasks include discussions of prognosis, advanced care planning and end-of-life goals of care, palliative and supportive care, and hospice. When communicating with advanced cancer patients, it is essential to find ways to maintain hope. The authors also discuss important considerations when communicating with patients with advanced cancer from minoritized groups. Finally, the authors discuss communication strategies and programs that have been developed to communicate optimally with patients with cancer and their families. Enhancing the communication skills of members of the healthcare team is critical to providing patient-centered care for patients with cancer and their families.