Palliative Care News

 Last month’s Supportive & Palliative Care column by Biren Saraiya, MD, highlighted a recent ASCO position paper that recommended palliative care be considered early in the course of illness for patients with metastatic cancer and/or high symptom burden.

An early and integrated approach is necessary to help make sure clinicians do not miss opportunities to provide palliative care services to patients with advanced cancer, particularly those with hematologic malignancies, according to findings of a retrospective study.

Results from a survey of patients with a variety of cancers showed that more than three in four would take a “hopeful gamble” over a “safe bet” therapy that offered similar average survival but less chance for a big gain.

NEW ORLEANS – Understanding the distinct difference between palliative sedation and hastened death is important for caregivers to understand. Clinical, ethical and legal issues swirl if a patient so much as mentions either of these issues.

BOSTON — Presenting here at the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, Jeffrey Meyrowitz, MD, along with Todd Dalberg, DO, and colleagues from the Oregon Health and Science University, said barriers to palliative care have never been formally investigated in the field of pediatric oncology.

The Union for International Cancer Control estimates that 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year and 90,000 will die of their disease.

As health care evolves, the ability to provide evidence-based, guideline-supported cancer care will be important for all of us.

I have been consulted on multiple occasions to evaluate terminally ill patients for depression and denial of their advanced disease.

An early and integrated approach is necessary to help make sure clinicians do not miss opportunities to provide palliative care services to patients with advanced cancer, particularly those with hematologic malignancies, according to findings of a retrospective study.

An analysis of patients with newly diagnosed lung and colorectal cancers demonstrated that minority patients, as well as those with lower incomes and less education, are more likely to report unmet needs for symptom management.