Why patient education is important in oncology

Bettina Ryll, MD, PhD of Melanoma Patient Network Europe talks about changes in melanoma treatment and how the added complexity of new treatments has changed how patients need to be informed. Dr Ryll believes that educating and communicating these changes in therapy to patients is a challenge. She also points out that patients who are educated and have good knowledge of their disease and treatment, fare better than patients who do not have this knowledge. Therefore, the Melanoma Patient Network Europe has a heavy focus on education for patients in order to improve outcome. Dr Ryll also highlights the importance of working together with oncologists to achieve this.
Recorded at the 2016 annual meeting of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), held in Copenhagen, Denmark.