Most cancer doctors avoid saying it’s the end

Only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients said their doctors had discussed end-of-life care, according to a federally funded study. Patients who had these talks were no more likely to become depressed than those who did not, were less likely to spend their final days tethered to hospital machines, and they avoided costly, futile care, the study found. Convinced of such benefits and that patients have a right to know, the California Assembly has passed a bill to require that healthcare providers give complete answers to dying patients who ask about their options.