The unacknowledged grief oncologists face and the need for closure

The unacknowledged grief oncologists face and the need for closure 
Medscape; by Mark A. Lewis, MD; 10/8/25 
Hello, Medscape. It's Mark, and I just got back from a patient's funeral. I know — even for an oncologist, that sounds grim, but I have my reasons and I'd like to explain them to you. ... One of them is deeply personal. When my father died, his oncologist came to his memorial service, and that made a huge impression on me. I was 14 years old at the time. ... Now, there's a whole other video to be recorded, if not a whole book to be written, about how a patient dying shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a failure. Immortality, after all, is never the goal. ... I've been absolutely astonished by what I've learned about my patients posthumously. ... Most meaningfully, you get to witness the ripple effect of the patients on their families who love them and who will carry on their traditions and even some of their character traits.