Doctors ’should give lifestyle advice’ to cancer patients

More than 80 per cent of cancer patients' close friends and family think that doctors should give their cancer patients lifestyle advice on eating habits, weight-loss and exercise, according to a new study in the British Journal of Cancer . Cancer Research UK scientists at UCL asked over 1,200 people who knew someone close with cancer a number of questions to assess their attitudes towards giving cancer patients lifestyle advice. There has been concern that such information could be seen as insensitive or implying blame, particularly at a time when the patient is trying to cope with the stress of diagnosis or treatment. The research found that around 90 per cent of those closest to cancer patients (their friends and relatives) saw lifestyle advice as 'beneficial' and over 80 per cent believed that doctors had a 'duty' to provide it. They also found that less than 20 per cent felt such advice was 'unnecessary', 'interfering', 'insensitive', or implied 'blame'. The concern has always been that talking to someone diagnosed with cancer about changing their eating or exercise habits could be seen as upsetting and inappropriate.. but we've found that not only are they receptive to the information, most believe it is their doctor's duty.