Is making “quality of life” the goal going to shorten my husband’s life?

93. Is making “quality of life” the goal going
to shorten my husband’s life?

“Quality of life” can mean different things to different
people. For some, simply being alive is worthwhile. For
others, they expect a certain level of ability to function,
both physically and mentally, in order to retain their
sense of dignity. When the medical team shifts its
focus to comfort care, saying that there is little
prospect for curing the cancer, there may still be other
treatments they can employ to both fight back the
cancer, at least temporarily, and/or relieve the symptoms
of the disease. In some cases, managing a person’s
painful or uncomfortable symptoms, in fact, results in
living longer than if these treatments were not provided.

Therefore, focusing on enhancing quality of life
will not necessarily shorten a person’s life.

The decision of whether to pursue such treatments, however,
becomes more complicated when the treatments
carry with them the risk or likelihood of adverse side
effects. What if this chemotherapy makes the patient
feel sicker even though the growth of the tumor is
slowed? What if whole brain radiation therapy results
in memory loss and confusion even though it relieves
the patient’s headaches? In these cases, electing not to
have the treatments can result in a shorter time left to
live. However, if there is a trade-off between quality of
life versus possibly extending life, one can only decide
for oneself where the tipping point lies and when to
forego further treatment. People with cancer individually
choose their own paths to follow. Helping them to
define what quality of life means to them, to articulate
their hopes and fears about the final stage of their life,
and to make sure they are getting enough accurate
information about their options to make an informed
decision provides important support.