Strategies for communicating oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis: why talk about it?

Carolina Guimarães Bonfim Alves; Nathaniel Simon Treister; Ana Carolina Prado Ribeiro; Thaís Bianca Brandão; Juliana Ono Tonaki; Marcio Ajudarte Lopes; César Rivera; Alan Roger Santos-Silva

doi:10.1016/j.oooo.2019.11.014

Strategies for communicating oral and oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis: why talk about it?

Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2020 Apr;129(4):347-356. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2019.11.014. Epub 2019 Nov 28.

Authors

Carolina Guimarães Bonfim Alves¹, Nathaniel Simon Treister², Ana Carolina Prado Ribeiro³, Thaís Bianca Brandão⁴, Juliana Ono Tonaki⁵, Marcio Ajudarte Lopes¹, César Rivera⁶, Alan Roger Santos-Silva⁷

Affiliations

¹ Oral Diagnosis Department, Semiology Area, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.
² Division of Oral Medicine and Dentistry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA; Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Oral Diagnosis Department, Semiology Area, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil; Dental Oncology Service, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁴ Dental Oncology Service, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁵ Psychology Service, Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
⁶ Oral Medicine and Pathology Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Talca (UTALCA), Talca, Maule Region, Chile.
⁷ Oral Diagnosis Department, Semiology Area, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: Alan@unicamp.br.

PMID: 31928903
DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2019.11.014

Abstract

Objective: This review aimed to explore the paradigms of disclosing a cancer diagnosis with a focus on oral and oropharyngeal cancer and patient-related considerations.

Study design: A search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus was conducted using the following keywords: oral cancer; mouth lesions; oncology; breaking bad news; truth disclosure; and communication skills training. English and Spanish language studies published through October 2019 were included.

Results: The way bad news is conveyed to patients with cancer may affect their comprehension of information, emotional distress, treatment adherence, and health outcomes. Models of communication that are focused on patients' preferences may result in better treatment outcomes. Available protocols, such as SPIKES and ABCDE, have useful recommendations for health care professionals communicating an oral cancer diagnosis. However, it is important to be attentive to the particular information needs of patients.

Conclusions: When communicating a cancer diagnosis, providers should employ validated methods of information delivery and support for oncology patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate the experiences and preferences of patients with oral cancer during these communications.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Communication
Humans
Oropharyngeal Neoplasms*
Patient Preference
Physician-Patient Relations*
Truth Disclosure