Palliative Care News

Palliative chemotherapy did not improve quality of life near death for patients with end-stage cancer who had a moderate or poor performance status and worsened quality of life near death for patients with a good performance status, according to study findings.

Early palliative care consultation for patients with advanced cancer during an admission to a hospital may reduce costs and lengths of stay, according to findings from a multi-institutional study.

Michael H. Levy, MD, PhD, director of the pain and palliative care program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, received the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The American Cancer Society estimates more than 589,000 Americans will die of cancer this year, making end-of-life conversations an inescapable reality for oncologists and other providers on their care teams.

Older patients with acute myeloid leukemia seldom received hospice services and palliative care at the end of life, according to the results of a retrospective analysis.

Palliative care should be integrated into cancer care during any cancer stage and in patients at any age.

End-of-life care for people with cancer consists of continued physical, mental and emotional care provided after medical testing and treatment is stopped when the cancer can no longer be controlled.

Individual patient clinical data available in electronic health records may predict the risk for palliative chemotherapy-related hospitalization, according to study results.

In a recently released position paper, leading internists are urging physicians to have honest end-of-life discussions with patients — including patient’s wishes and prognosis — to determine if CPR is in their best interest.

Early initiation of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer may not only improve their survival, but also reduce the depression and stress burden of family caregivers, according to results of two analyses of the ENABLE III trial.