Table 2.

Ethical, cultural and relational aspects of cancer and implications for patient communication (Part A)

		N. respondents	%
A1	When disclosing a diagnosis of metastatic cancer to a patient do you also inform about non-curability?
	Yes, always	197	49
	Yes, only if patients ask	164	43
	Generally no	30	8
	Never	0	0
A2	The so-called “patient-centered care” requires that the patient can decide on therapeutic and assistential strategies: do you agree?
	Yes	286	73
	No	83	21
	I don't know	22	6
A3	When communicating a diagnosis of incurable cancer, do you verify patient's will on possible end-of-life directives?
	Yes	69	18
	Sometimes	195	49
	No	127	33
A4	When disclosing prognosis, if the patient does not specifically ask for information, do you think family's requests should be taken into account (i.e. relative may ask not to disclose prognostic information)?
	Yes, always	65	16
	Yes, sometimes	261	68
	No	63	15
	I don't know	2	1
A5	In a patient with biliary duct carcinoma who ha metastatic disease at diagnosis, how many line of chemotherapy do you usually prescribe?
	At least one	294	75
	At least two	85	22
	Three or more	0	0
	Generally no chemotherapy	12	3
A6	The prescription of more than two lines of chemotherapy is a result of the necessity of:
	Reducing disease symptoms	268	50*	60^
	Delaying communication of prognosis	17	3	4
	Answering to patient's and family's requests	104	19	23
	Answering to the necessity of continuing care	74	14	16
	None of the above	74	14	16

Footnotes: * % on total options; ^ % on single options