Palliative Care News

Palliative care — also known as supportive care or symptom management — is administered at the time of diagnosis of a serious illness, throughout the treatment course and through the end-of-life for a patient with a serious illness such as cancer.

A multidisciplinary approach is necessary to support the integration of palliative care at the time of cancer diagnosis, according to a position statement issued by the Oncology Nursing Society.

In this edition of HemOnc Today, we cover the important topic of palliative management.

Eight physical signs, such as nonreactive pupils and a decreased response to verbal and visual stimuli, were associated with death within 3 days for patients with advanced cancer, according to study results.

Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received palliative care underwent less aggressive end-of-life treatment, required fewer hospital admissions and survived longer than those who did not receive palliative care, according to study results.

The FDA approved Akynzeo for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in patients with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.

A telephone-based symptom monitoring and coaching system improved patient symptoms and their caregiver’s well-being during hospice care, according to study results presented at the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.

More than one-quarter of cancer survivors faced at least one financial difficulty, and more than one-third of survivors who worked had to modify their work plans due to their cancer, according to survey results presented at the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.

A “co-rounding” partnership between medical oncologists and palliative care specialists on an inpatient oncology ward was associated with shorter hospital lengths of stay and reduced readmission rates, according to results of a retrospective cohort analysis presented at the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.

The financial burden of cancer care often prompted insured patients to alter their lifestyle and their medical care strategies, according to survey results presented at the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium.