Cancer Patients Fare Poorly After Surgery

UC Davis researchers are urging end-of- life patients to discuss their conditions prior to consenting to surgery. Those who have advanced cancer and undergo surgery are far more likely to endure long hospital stays and readmissions, referrals to extended care facilities and death.

A study that was published in PLOS One highlights the dilemma that surgeons and physicians face when they have a terminally ill cancer patient that has been diagnosed with the conditions that may benefit from surgery, and have the need for substantive discussions about the risks of surgery and implications on future quality of life. Even though the …read more