Effect of advanced cancer patients’ awareness of disease status on treatment decisional conflicts and satisfaction during palliative chemotherapy: a Korean prospective cohort study

Our purpose was to evaluate the effect of cancer patients’ awareness of their incurable disease status on decisional conflict and satisfaction with treatment choice. In this prospective cohort study, advanced cancer patients who were offered palliative chemotherapy completed questionnaires on their knowledge of their condition, their treatment decision conflicts, and their satisfaction with their treatment decisions. We enrolled 98 patients; 94 reported that they were aware of their advanced status and 50 were not. Decisional conflicts for all patients showed a significant decrease after treatment, but aware patients were significantly more satisfied with their decision (P = 0.02). Patients’ awareness of their incurable status was associated with greater satisfaction with their decision to receive palliative chemotherapy.