Opinion

Erika Hamilton: I don’t think it’s appropriate to not tell patients…

Photo of Erika Hamilton from LinkedIn

Nov 17, 2023, 16:53

Erika Hamilton: I don’t think it’s appropriate to not tell patients…

Erika Hamilton shared a post by Mark Lewis on X/Twitter, adding:

“Agree. It’s not our information, it’s theirs….. and I don’t think it’s appropriate to not tell patients. We shouldn’t and can’t assume their values and decision desires. Tell patients everything.

Every patient with MBC I treat is told they have metastatic incurable disease.”

Quoting Mark Lewis’ post:

“THIS below. I sometimes wonder if it’s cruel to be ‘kind’.

We tread a fine line between hype and hope, between Hail Mary last-line treatments and reasonable preparations for death, allowing time for legacy building OUTSIDE of our clinics and hospitals and WITH families, not oncologists.”

Erika Hamilton: I don't think it's appropriate to not tell patients...

Source: Erika Hamilton/Twitter and Mark Lewis/Twitter

Erika Hamilton is a medical oncologist and the Director of Breast Cancer and Gynecologic Cancer Research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute (USA). In her role, Dr. Hamilton oversees the research program and clinical trial menu for gynecologic and breast cancer from a medical oncology perspective. Dr. Hamilton is a past chair of ASCO’s Scientific Breast Committee a ’21-’22, participant of the ASCO Leadership Development Program, Associate Editor for Clinical Breast Cancer, co-chair for Great Debates and Updates in Women’s Oncology Conference and a board member of the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Central Tennessee. She is active in the community, volunteering with Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee, the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, Ovarcome ovarian cancer support organization, Brentwood Baptist Church and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Mark A. Lewis is the Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, the Co-Chair of adolescent & young adult (AYA) oncology in the SWOG cooperative group, and the Vice President of American Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Support. Dr. Lewis is also a well-known patient advocate and social media influencer.