Study Examines Effects of Advance Care Planning for Adolescents With Cancer

(Via University of Minnesota) In a recently published study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, University of Minnesota researchers and colleagues say adolescents with cancer deserve a voice in medical decisions made for and about them. 

“Adolescents with cancer should be given the opportunity to participate in their own medical decision-making,” said co-author Jennifer Needle, MD, MPH, faculty in the Center for Bioethics and an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Medical School. “This should include preferences about whether or not they want aggressive life-sustaining treatment if their cancer, or its treatment, causes severe complications. A guided conversation between the adolescent and their parent or surrogate reduces the discomfort that comes with these conversations, and provides the opportunity for ongoing communication between the patient, parent, and health care team.” Read on…