There are few topics more complicated than end-of-life wishes.

Cancer is the one disease which tends to elicit immediate responses from people—do it all or do little or nothing.

In this new study of more than 4,000 records of cancer patients, some fascinating differences among groupings showed up in a new study published in the journal, Cancer. The researchers did not review records of Medicaid patients or patients whose insurance status was not included in the record. The team also did not try to measure trust in health care, attitudes about religion or other possible influences on these groups’ attitudes.

The goal of the study is to identify what patient preferences are without measuring any other variables. More studies will be needed.

• Black patients (80%) were more likely than white patients (54.1%) to be willing to spend all of the resources they had to prolong life, the study says.
• Hispanic (69.1%) and Asian patients (72%) fell in between, they reported.

Other interesting differences were identified.

• Age. People above age 55 were not as willing to spend all that they have.
• Dependents. If the patient supported three or more patients, they were less willing to spend than those who had one dependent.
• Married people or those who lived with a partner were less likely to be willing to spend than those who are separated or divorced. For many, this may be a surprising finding.
• People who said their outcomes were “in God’s hands” were more, not less, willing to spend when compared to patients who said they had no idea what their life expectations were.

Medpage Today

Source: Medpage Today, April 28, 2011

Citation: Martin MY, et al “Racial variation in willingness to trade financial resources for life-prolonging cancer treatment” Cancer 2011; 117(10).