Aggressive cancer treatment near end of life persists despite rise in advance planning efforts

In a review of nearly 2,000 surveys with people whose loved ones died of cancer, researchers say they found a 40 percent increase over a 12-year period in the number of patients with cancer who participated in one form of advance care planning -- designating durable power of attorney privileges to a loved one -- but no corresponding impact on their rates of aggressive medical care received in the last weeks of life.

from Today's Healthcare News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1RoV5Wq