Prognosis, treatment benefit, and goals of care: what do oncologists discuss with patients who have terminal cancer?

e20509 Background: Despite being a marker of quality care, documentation of advance directives among patients with terminal cancer is known to be poor. Here we describe the documentation of prognosis, treatment benefit, and goals of care (GOC) discussions in patients with advanced cancer seen in the out-patient setting at a comprehensive cancer centre. Methods: All patients who initiated palliative chemotherapy for metastatic pancreas or lung cancers during 2010-2013 at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario were identified from electronic pharmacy records. Patients treated with first-line palliative chemotherapy who had at least 4 clinic visits with medical oncology (MO) were eligible. Clinical notes from MO were reviewed to identify documentation of discussions regarding prognosis, treatment benefit, estimates of survival, and GOC. Clinical notes from palliative care (PC) were also reviewed. Differences between groups were tested using the chi-square test. Results: 222 patients were included; 80% (17...