Patients cope in different ways when living with an incurable cancer. These varied coping styles impact how oncology providers communicate with patients. If providers do not tailor communication with a general understanding of how a patient is coping, this risks miscommunication with the patient, inaccurate disease understanding, and suboptimal care. This review explores the spectrum of coping patterns that influence a patient's behaviors and communication with their oncology team throughout a cancer course. We then review several strategies to assist with coping in order to provide more transparent communication throughout the cancer course. Patients express coping styles on a spectrum, from “avoidant” to “resistant” to “engaged.” The “avoidant” and “resistant” coping styles often impede transparent communication between patient and provider due to expressions of unrealistic hope by the patient. Several communication skills can improve patient coping and readiness to discuss prognostic information about the cancer, which will better facilitate conversations around end of life and readiness to stop cancer treatment and initiate hospice when indicated. Understanding the spectrum of coping styles and stress responses by patients and families can improve shared understanding between patient and provider as well as a sense of partnership with patients and families.

当患有无法治愈的癌症时，患者会以不同的方式应对。这些不同的应对方式影响肿瘤医生与患者沟通的方式。如果提供者没有根据对患者如何应对的一般了解来调整沟通，则可能会导致与患者沟通不畅、疾病理解不准确和护理欠佳。这篇综述探讨了在整个癌症病程中影响患者行为以及与肿瘤团队沟通的一系列应对模式。然后，我们回顾了几种协助应对的策略，以便在整个癌症病程中提供更透明的沟通。患者表达的应对方式多种多样，从“回避”到“抵抗”再到“参与”。由于患者表达了不切实际的希望，“回避”和“抵抗”的应对方式常常阻碍患者和提供者之间的透明沟通。多种沟通技巧可以改善患者的应对能力和准备程度，以讨论有关癌症的预后信息，这将更好地促进围绕生命终结的对话，并准备好停止癌症治疗并在有需要时启动临终关怀。了解患者和家属的应对方式和压力反应的范围可以增进患者和提供者之间的共同理解以及与患者和家属的合作意识。