1990
DOI: 10.1007/bf00046704
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American oncology and the discourse on hope

Abstract: From the perspective of medical anthropology and comparative research, American oncology appears as a unique variant of international biomedical culture, particularly when contrasted with oncological practice in societies such as Japan and Italy. Based on interviews with 51 oncologists in Harvard teaching hospitals, this paper argues that American oncological practice draws on distinctive cultural meanings associated with "hope" and is infused with popular notions about the relationship between psyche and soma… Show more

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Cited by 408 publications
(160 citation statements)
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“…1,2,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] We worry that prognostic information will cause patients emotional distress [1][2][3] and take away hope. 1,[13][14][15][16][17][18] In addition, some clinicians fear that discussing a poor prognosis will create a prophecy that is either inaccurate or, perhaps worse, destined to be fulfilled by a now-hopeless patient 19 ; patients who recognize a terminal illness will "give up. "…”
Section: Clinicians' Concerns About Communicating Prognostic Informationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…1,2,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] We worry that prognostic information will cause patients emotional distress [1][2][3] and take away hope. 1,[13][14][15][16][17][18] In addition, some clinicians fear that discussing a poor prognosis will create a prophecy that is either inaccurate or, perhaps worse, destined to be fulfilled by a now-hopeless patient 19 ; patients who recognize a terminal illness will "give up. "…”
Section: Clinicians' Concerns About Communicating Prognostic Informationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Cette intervention se situe dès lors à la limite des normes éthiques médicales, car elle n'a pas apporté de bénéfice au patient tout en lui faisant perdre son temps et en l'ayant éventuellement exposé aux risques de toxicité du traitement évalué. Pour résoudre ce dilemme éthique, les oncologues sont amenés à adopter une attitude de « purs cliniciens » [22], ce qui peut les conduire à une torsion dans l'interprétation des résultats pour les rendre « positifs » en mettant l'accent sur les « bons résultats » de l'intervention sur le patient qu'ils ont en face d'eux, afin de respecter la norme, implicite en cancérologie, de maintenir l'espoir [23].…”
Section: Résultat : Un Mot Plusieurs Interprétations Résultats Indivunclassified
“…In a survey of oncologists on this matter, all believed that giving hope was a necessary goal of their profession. 19 Kodish and Post 20 reported that patients expect clinicians to disclose information after some interpretation of the data, but they do not want "callous disclosure of grim diagnosis and prognosis. " Patients need to appreciate that the whole range of possibilities for their particular cancer may not follow a set course and in fact may be better or worse than the probabilities show.…”
Section: Predicting Survival and Prognosismentioning
confidence: 99%