Palliative Care News

African American and Hispanic patients who underwent pancreatectomy for pancreatic cancer appeared less likely than their white counterparts to utilize hospice services more than 3 days before death, according to results of a retrospective study scheduled for presentation at Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium.

Higher levels of anxiety and depression among patients with cancer appeared to be associated with more severe disease-related pain, according to study results scheduled for presentation at Supportive Care in Oncology Symposium.

More than 1.7 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer and approximately 607,000 are expected to die of the disease this year, according to data from the American Cancer Society.

Palliative care appeared associated with survival benefits among patients with advanced lung cancer, according to results of a retrospective study published in JAMA Oncology.

Light therapy appeared to be an effective intervention for the prevention of painful oral mucositis associated with cancer treatment, according to results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mental health comorbidities such as depression and anxiety increased risks for opioid use and mortality among older breast cancer survivors, according to study results published in Journal of Oncology Practice.

The field of palliative care appears to be moving in two opposite directions.

New Jersey has become the eighth state to allow terminally ill patients to request a prescription from a physician for medication to end their lives.

Click here to read the Cover Story, “Aggressive end-of-life care: A disservice to patients.”

The availability of more effective and less toxic anticancer agents has made it increasingly difficult for clinicians to discern when to discontinue treatment for patients with advanced solid tumors.