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Accurate parental understanding of a child's cancer prognosis is essential to therapeutic decisions, although breaking news of a poor outcome may be emotionally difficult. In a study at two pediatric oncology centers, investigators surveyed 353 parent-oncologist pairs within 6 weeks of initial prognostic discussions (including treatment, likelihood of cure, future limitations, and cause of cancer) to assess the impact of such disclosures on parents.
High-quality information communicated at disclosure engendered greater parental trust, peace of mind, and hope, regardless of whether the prognosis was more favorable (≥75% chance of cure) or less favorable. Such high-quality information was not associated with anxiety or depression, even among p…