Results from a new randomized prospective clinical trial indicate that early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer not only increases quality of life, it also extends life, compared to standard care and aggressive end-of-life care.
Investigators assessed the patients' quality of life and their mood, at baseline and at 12 weeks, using two scales: the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Lung (FACT-L) scale, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The study's primary outcome was the change in quality of life at the 12 week mark.
FINDINGS
Patients who received early palliative care reported a better quality of life, and they had far fewer depressive symptoms than those receiving standard care.
Additionally, this same group had a longer median survival time (11.6 months) than patients receiving standard care and/or aggressive end-of-life care (8.9 months).
CONCLUSIONS
"Among patients with metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer, early palliative care led to significant improvements in both quality of life and mood. As compared with patients receiving standard care, patients receiving early palliative care had less aggressive care at the end of life but longer survival."
CANCER TYPE(S)
Non-small cell lung cancer
TREATMENT TYPE(S)
Palliative care
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
New England Journal of Medicine
By Ross Bonander
Source
Temel JS et al. "Early Palliative Care for Patients with Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer." N Engl J Med 2010; 363:733-742.
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