Early Palliative Care: American Society of Clinical Oncology publishes new guidelines
15th November 2016
The American Society of Clinical Oncology has published new clinical guidelines based on 9 randomised controlled trials and now recommends that palliative care is integrated early into standard oncology care for all patients diagnosed with cancer. Early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer, and for the family/friend caregivers of patients with advanced cancer, should be provided early in the disease course, alongside curative treatment.
http://ascopubs.org/doi/pdf/10.1200/JCO.2016.70.1474
The purpose of these recommendations is to provide evidence-based guidance to oncology clinicians, patients, family and friend caregivers about integrating early palliative care into standard oncology for all patients diagnosied with cancer. The panel conducted an updated systematic review, and looked at randomised clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as secondary analyses of older RCTs, in the period March 2010 to January 2016.
The new guidelines recommend that inpatients and outpatients with advanced cancer should receive dedicated palliative care services, early in the disease course, concurrent with active treatment. Referral of patients to specialist palliative care teams is optimal and services may complement existing programmes. Providers may also refer family and friend caregivers of patients with advanced cancer to palliative care services.
Among the research studies included in the review were the Dignity Therapy randomised controlled trial conducted by Professor Harvey Chochinov, and the single-blind randomised trial of a breathlessness support service conducted by Professor Irene Higginson at the Cicely Saunders Institute.