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Review
. 2012;17(2):267-73.
doi: 10.1634/theoncologist.2011-0219. Epub 2012 Jan 17.

Palliative care in advanced cancer patients: how and when?

Eduardo Bruera  1 , Sriram Yennurajalingam
Affiliations
Review

Palliative care in advanced cancer patients: how and when?

Eduardo Bruera et al. Oncologist. 2012.

Abstract

Cancer patients develop severe physical and psychological symptoms as a result of their disease and treatment. Their families commonly suffer great emotional distress as a result of caregiving. Early palliative care access can improve symptom control and quality of life and reduce the cost of care. Preliminary results show that early palliative care access can also extend survival. Unfortunately, only a minority of cancer centers in the U.S. have the two most important resources for palliative care delivery: outpatient palliative care centers and inpatient palliative care units. In this article, we use a case presentation to discuss the impact of early palliative care access in light of the currently available evidence, and we recommend ways to improve early access to palliative care through education and research.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosures: Eduardo Bruera: None; Sriram Yennurajalingam: None.

Section Editor: Russell K. Portenoy: Arsenal Medical Inc., Grupo Ferrer, Xenon (C/A); Ameritox, Archimedes Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Covidien Mallinckrodt Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Forest Labs, K-Pax Pharmaceuticals, Meda Pharmaceuticals, Medtronics, Otsuka Pharma, ProStrakan, Purdue Pharma, Salix, St. Jude Medical (RF).

Reviewer “A”: Pfizer, Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, KangLaiTe, Alexion, Biovex, DARA, MiCo, NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AHRQ (RF); Amgen, Helsinn Therapeutics, Novartis (C/A, RF).

Reviewer “B”: None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Conceptual model for integration of palliative/supportive care in oncology. (A): Solo practice model. (B): Congress practice model. (C): Integrated care model. Abbreviation: GI, gastrointestinal. Reprinted with permission. © 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved. Bruera E, Hui D. J Clin Oncol 28, 2010:4013–4017.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Goals for the use of a car are analogous to goals of care. (A): No Comfort and safety measures. (B): Comfort and safety measures. Reprinted with permission. © 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved. Bruera E, Hui D. J Clin Oncol 28, 2010:4013–4017.
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