Patients with end-stage cancer still receive expensive or aggressive treatment 

A new study from researchers at the American Cancer Society and other cancer centers highlights the expensive and often aggressive treatments that patients with end-stage cancer receive. Using data from more than 100,000 patients who died within a month of their diagnosis, the researchers found that nearly 30% of those with colorectal cancer still underwent surgery, while nearly 20% of lung cancer patients received radiation. The rates of radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery for certain cancers declined over the 10-year period that the scientists studied, but “more research is needed to specifically identify patients ... who will not benefit from attempted life-prolonging treatment, who should instead be referred for end-of-life care,” the authors write.