We present work funded by Macmillan Cancer Support and hosted with the UK Acute Oncology Society from conversations about acute cancer care with oncologists, palliative care and generalist clinicians to determine how best to manage the increasing complexity of cancer patients and their management.

Methods

We used a number of facilitated focus groups to draw out themes of initial management, communication differentiating between toxicity, disease progression and when and how to start conversations about the end of life.

Results

There is an awareness of the significant mortality for patients needing acute cancer care. However, there is no clear responsibility to having these prognostic conversations. These include attitudes towards future care planning (FCP) in oncology, ownership and the challenges faced by non-oncologists treating more and more people living with cancer.

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