title: Position paper of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology on early palliative care in oncology practice (Simultaneous Care).
abstract: One of the priorities of personalized medicine regards the role of early integration of palliative care with cancer-directed treatments, called simultaneous care. This article, written by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) Simultaneous and Continuous Care Task Force, represents the position of Italian medical oncologists about simultaneous care, and is the result of a 2-step project: a Web-based survey among medical oncologists and a consensus conference. We present the opinion of more than 600 oncologists who helped formulate these recommendations. This document covers 4 main aspects of simultaneous care: 1) ethical, cultural, and relational aspects of cancer and implications for patient communication; 2) training of medical oncologists in palliative medicine; 3) research on the integration between cancer treatments and palliative care; and 4) organizational and management models for the realization of simultaneous care. The resulting recommendations highlight the role of skills and competence in palliative care along with implementation of adequate organizational models to accomplish simultaneous care, which is considered a high priority of AIOM in order to grant the best quality of life for cancer patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Experimental Oncology, Medical Oncology Unit 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua - Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zagonel
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital, Parma - Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Franciosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical & Experimental Oncology, Medical Oncology Unit 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua - Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brunello
authors.affiliation: "LA Seragnoli" Department of Hematology and Oncology Sciences, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna - Italy.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biasco
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Palliative Care Service, San Matteo Hospital IRCCS, Pavia - Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Broglia
authors.affiliation: European Institute of Oncology, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Medical Oncology Unit, Piacenza Hospital, Piacenza - Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cavanna
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Fatebenefratelli-Isola Tiberina Hospital, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corsi
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Milan - Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, S. Maria Annunziata Hospital-AUSL 10, Bagno a Ripoli (Florence) - Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fioretto
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, SS. Trinità Hospital, Sora (Frosinone) - Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gamucci
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit INI Grottaferrata, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzetta
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar (Verona) - Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magarotto
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Unit, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, Meldola (Forlì-Cesena) - Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maltoni
authors.affiliation: Clinical and Molecular Medicine Department, Medical Oncology Unit, Sapienza University, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari - Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Massa
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, SS. Giovanni e Paolo Hospital, Venezia - Italy.
authors.forename: Cataldo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mastromauro
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna - Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Melotti
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Fondazione Poliambulanza Hospital, Brescia - Italy.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meriggi
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology & Breast Unit, "A. Perrino" Hospital, Brindisi - Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nacci
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, San Pietro Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Ida
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pavese
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, S.Anna Hospital, Ferrara - Italy.
authors.forename: Erico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Piva
authors.affiliation: Clinical Oncology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quirino
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, "Tor Vergata" University Hospital, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, S. Maria Misericordia Hospital, Udine - Italy.
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome - Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tonini
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padua - Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trentin
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera di Lodi, Lodi - Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ucci
authors.affiliation: Unit of Medical Oncology, Cancer Center Azienda Ospedaliera Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo - Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Labianca
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Negrar (Verona) - Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gori
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma Maggiore Hospital, Parma - Italy.
authors.forename: Carmine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona - Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cascinu
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008495:Medical Oncology; D010166:Palliative Care; D012955:Societies, Medical