For those navigators caring for patients with advanced cancers, you have probably witnessed what I have—the patient wanting to stop treatment and the family (young husband or adult children) wanting to do an end run to the medical oncologist and say, “We want her to continue treatment and not give up. She is a candidate for drug therapy XYZ. I will talk her into continuing treatment.” And what happens? The oncologist agrees because he has been taught to treat the disease and perhaps even feels relieved that treatment will likely continue. In the meantime, the patient is too weak to fight her family, and gives in to their pressuring wishes.
