Quality of life must guide oncologists

(ANSA) - Rome, November 19 - Quality of life needs to be a guiding factor for oncologists in their choice of treatment for cancer patients, according to surveys published by a cancer foundation Thursday.
    "Quality of life plays a decisive role in following treatment," foundation 'Together against cancer' president Francesco Cognetti said. "Often patients interrupt treatment precisely because of problems caused by the drugs. For this reason it is fundamental to identify those drugs that give the same results but have fewer side effects," he continued. The survey highlighted a significant discrepancy between the point of view of doctors and patients with respect to treatment choices.
    Some 90% of the 533 doctors surveyed by the foundation said they involved their patients in the choice of therapy.
    By contrast, only 46% of the 354 cancer patients surveyed felt they had been genuinely involved in such choices.