Study: Heed spiritual needs of cancer patients

People with advanced cancer felt they received little or no spiritual support from religious communities and the medical system, according to a new survey. However, those who did receive such support reported a better quality of life.

The study, led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School and published in the Feb. 10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, drew on data from the Coping With Cancer Study, a multi-institutional investigation of advanced cancer patients and their main caregivers. Of 230 patients surveyed, the vast majority - 88 percent - considered religion to be at least somewhat important. But nearly half said their spiritual needs were largely or entirely unmet by a religious community, and 72 percent felt those needs were similarly unaddressed by the medical system.

The findings also indicated that greater spiritual support from religious organizations and medical service providers was strongly linked to better quality of life for patients, even after other factors were taken into account. Intriguingly, patients who considered themselves religious were more likely to want all possible measures taken to extend their lives.

"This study examined how much spiritual support advanced cancer patients received from religious organizations, as well as hospital-based doctors, nurses, and chaplains," said the study's lead author, Tracy Balboni, a senior resident in the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. "Our findings suggest that such support can help improve patients' quality of life at the end of life."

The infrequent recognition of the spiritual components of illness on the part of many hospitals may reflect a debate over the medical system's proper role in this area, the authors stated. Numerous barriers deter physicians from helping procure spiritual support services for patients at the end of life. Among these is a separation of the realms of medical science and religion that exists within many hospital cultures. Another is concern that physicians might try to impose a specific set of religious beliefs on patients.