Phase II study: integrated palliative care in newly diagnosed advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the feasibility of early palliative care in the ambulatory setting in patients with newly diagnosed advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).


METHODS
Patients were eligible if they had a performance status of 0 to 1 and were within 8 weeks of diagnosis of advanced NSCLC. Participants received integrated care from oncology and palliative care throughout the course of their disease. Participants were scheduled to meet with the palliative care team (PCT) and complete quality-of-life (QOL) and mood questionnaires monthly for 6 months. The study was deemed feasible if 64% of patients completed at least 50% of their scheduled visits and QOL assessments.


RESULTS
Fifty-one patients were enrolled onto the trial. One died within 72 hours and was not assessable. Ninety percent (95% CI, 0.78 to 0.96) of study participants complied with at least 50% of the palliative care visits. Eight-six percent (95% CI, 0.73 to 0.94) of the participants met the full feasibility requirements by both meeting with the PCT and completing QOL assessments at least 50% of the time. QOL and mood analyses confirmed the high symptom burden in patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC. At least 50% of participants experienced some degree of shortness of breath, cough, difficulty breathing, appetite loss, weight loss, or unclear thinking at their baseline assessment. More than one third of patients had a probable mood disorder at baseline.


CONCLUSIONS
Integrated palliative and oncology care is feasible in ambulatory patients with advanced NSCLC.
Temel
Jennifer S
JS
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA. jtemel@partners.org
Jackson
Vicki A
VA
Billings
J Andrew
JA
Dahlin
Constance
C
Block
Susan D
SD
Buss
Mary K
MK
Ostler
Patricia
P
Fidias
Panos
P
Muzikansky
Alona
A
Greer
Joseph A
JA
Pirl
William F
WF
Lynch
Thomas J
TJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000628:therapy*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires