INTRODUCTION Patients faced with incurable cancer may experience a lack of support from their physician throughout and after treatment. Studies on the needs and experiences of these patients are scarce. In this study, we explored the needs and experiences of patients diagnosed with incurable cancer regarding the conversation, in which they were told that their cancer was incurable, the care received after this conversation, and their preferences regarding end-of-life conversations. METHODS Data were cross-sectionally collected through a national online survey in the Netherlands (September 2018). Descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients were reported and subgroups were compared. RESULTS Six hundred fifty-four patients (mean age 60 years; 58% women) completed the survey. Patients were primarily diagnosed with breast cancer (22%) or a hematological malignancy (21%). Patients reported a strong need for emotional support during the conversation, in which they were told their cancer was incurable (mean score 8.3; scale 1-10). Their experienced satisfaction with received emotional support was mediocre (mean score 6.4; scale 1-10). Of those patients who felt like they did not receive any additional care (37%) after the diagnosis, the majority expressed a clear need for this kind of care (59%). Mostly, support pertained to psychosocial issues. Regarding conversations about the end of life, most patients (62%) expressed a need to discuss this topic, and preferred their healthcare provider to initiate this conversation. CONCLUSION Care for patients with incurable cancer can be further improved by tailoring conversations to specific needs and timely providing appropriate supportive care services.

中文翻译：

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不可治愈的癌症患者在预先护理计划方面的经验和需求：国家横断面调查的结果。

简介面对无法治愈的癌症的患者，在治疗过程中和治疗后可能会缺乏医师的支持。对这些患者的需求和经验的研究很少。在这项研究中，我们探讨了被诊断为无法治愈的癌症的患者在谈话中的需求和经验，他们被告知他们的癌症是无法治愈的，经过谈话后得到的护理，以及他们对临终谈话的偏好。方法通过荷兰全国在线调查（2018年9月）横断面收集数据。报告了描述性统计和相关系数，并对亚组进行了比较。结果654位患者（平均年龄60岁； 58％为女性）完成了调查。患者最初被诊断出患有乳腺癌（22％）或血液系统恶性肿瘤（21％）。患者在交谈中报告强烈需要情感支持，并被告知他们的癌症是无法治愈的（平均评分8.3；等级1-10）。他们对获得的情感支持感到满意（平均得分6.4；等级1-10）。在诊断后感觉自己没有再接受任何其他护理的患者（37％）中，大多数人明确表示需要这种护理（59％）。通常，支持涉及社会心理问题。关于寿命终止的对话，大多数患者（62％）表示有必要讨论该话题，并希望他们的医疗服务提供者发起对话。