National Attention Raised Around the Complex Choices for People Diagnosed With Cancer

WASHINGTON, DC, June 15, 2011 (Press-News.org) In a workshop summary released today, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) call attention to the importance of patient-centered cancer treatment planning at the time a patient is diagnosed with cancer. With a multitude of complex treatment choices, it is often difficult for people diagnosed with cancer to make decisions about their care. As a result, the NCCS and the IOM hosted a public workshop on February 28 and March 1, 2011 in Washington, DC titled "Patient-Centered Cancer Treatment Planning: Improving the Quality of Oncology Care." Today's summary provides an overview of what was discussed at the workshop.

"The workshop summary released today reveals the importance of patient-centered cancer treatment planning and shared decision making at the time of diagnosis," said NCCS President and CEO Thomas P. Sellers. "This workshop set the stage to advance the adoptions of treatment planning at the beginning of the continuum of care. NCCS is dedicated to advocating for quality cancer care and will continue to work with the IOM and other key stakeholders to produce results that benefit all people affected by cancer."

NCCS and the IOM have a long history of partnering together to address the need for cancer care planning. Starting in 1999, NCCS and the IOM worked to establish care planning as an important process in cancer survivorship releasing a report titled "Ensuring Quality Cancer Care." Then in 2006, the IOM and NCCS released the report "From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Translation", which forever changed the way people thought about cancer. The report brought to life how the unique needs of a cancer survivor are often ignored as they transition from active to post-treatment. The report served as a catalyst for creating a discipline for cancer survivorship and has spurred subsequent workshops and research.

A free summary of the workshop can be viewed at http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report Files/2011/Patient-Centered-Cancer-Treatment-Planning/Patient Centered Cancer Plan 2011 WH.pdf. You can purchase the full workshop summary at http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Patient-Centered-Cancer-Treatment-Planning-Improving-the-Quality-of-Oncology-Care.aspx.

About NCCS

The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship is the oldest survivor-led cancer advocacy organization in the country, advocating for quality cancer care for all people touched by cancer and empowering cancer survivors. You can find more information about NCCS at http://www.canceradvocacy.org/.