Chemotherapy vs. palliative care for patients with ovarian cancer

Nicoletta Colombo, MD, PhD, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy & University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy, discusses how to make treatment decisions with patients who have terminal ovarian cancer. The decision over whether to undergo a chemotherapy regimen, which typically has low success rates in these patients, or to offer palliative care instead relies on a lot of factors and can be a difficult decision for both clinicians and patients. Clinical trials can offer improved progression free survival or quality of life for these patients, so should also be considered when deciding on treatment. A key challenge for clinicians is how to communicate about end-of-life issues with patients and their families.