Palliative Care News and Research

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Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Study highlights underutilization of end-of-life care for patients with malignant urinary obstruction

Less than half of patients with malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) – a serious complication of advanced cancer, with a poor prognosis – receive palliative care (PC) for their condition, reports a paper in the January issue of Urology Practice, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA).

21 Dec 2023

Groundbreaking treatment tool being developed for male breast cancer diagnosis

Doctors diagnosed Christopher Gregg, Ph.D., member of the Nuclear Control of Cell Growth and Differentiation Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) and neuroscientist and professor of neurobiology and human genetics at the U, with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2018.

21 Dec 2023

Psilocybin may benefit individuals with cancer and major depression

Results from a phase II clinical trial indicate that psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical found in certain mushrooms of the genus Psiloybe, may benefit individuals with cancer and major depression.

18 Dec 2023

Dementia patients often receive different treatment after hospital transfer, study finds

It is common for individuals seeking medical care for symptoms of concern to go to the nearest hospital. Physicians there may determine the facility cannot provide the care they believe the patient needs and recommend transfer to another hospital offering a higher level of care or specialized services.

28 Nov 2023

$3.9 million NIH grant supports research on the Effects of integrated palliative care on Parkinson’s, related dementia

A five-year, $3.9 million grant to study the effects of integrated palliative care on health service outcomes and disparities in Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's disease dementia has been awarded to UTHealth Houston and other institutions by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health.

15 Nov 2023

New "Core Outcome Measure Set" developed to assess the severity and impact of Long COVID

Researchers have reached an agreement on how best to measure the severity and impact of Long COVID by identifying a "Core Outcome Measure Set" (COMS).

2 Nov 2023

NCCN releases new resources to improve quality of life for people with cancer

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) is announcing new resources focused on improving quality of life for people with cancer while making sure care planning reflects individual needs and priorities.

30 Oct 2023

Immersive VR interventions effective in reducing pain and distress among cancer patients

Immersive virtual reality-;digital technology that allows a person to experience being physically present in a non-physical world-;seems to ease the pain and distress felt by patients with cancer, suggests a pooled data analysis of the available evidence published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

16 Oct 2023

Review of Oregon's assisted dying law finds significant data gaps

There are critical gaps in the data provided on doctor assisted deaths in Oregon, USA, amid rising numbers of participants, finds a review of the process over the past 25 years, published online in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

4 Oct 2023

Positivefeedback can help increase mutual appreciation among healthcare workers

Healthcare organizations, in reviewing care delivery opportunities and providing feedback to staff, often focus on what went wrong, but a new study suggests that reversing this perspective may help organizations improve their work culture by understanding what went right.

19 Sep 2023

Experts provide guidance on opioid management in individuals with cancer-related pain

Clinicians treating cancer-related pain must consider whether and how to prescribe opioids to patients who use nonmedical stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines; however, no guidelines exist related to these common and challenging situations.

15 Sep 2023

Convincing evidence supports avoidance of cannabis during adolescence, pregnancy and while driving

Experts recommend avoiding cannabis during adolescence and early adulthood, in people prone to or with mental health disorders, in pregnancy, and before and while driving, based on an in-depth evidence review published by The BMJ today.

7 Sep 2023

Lorazepam linked to shorter progression-free survival in pancreatic cancer patients

Patients with pancreatic cancer who took the benzodiazepine lorazepam (Ativan), commonly prescribed to treat anxiety during cancer treatment, had a shorter progression-free survival than patients who did not, according to results published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

17 Aug 2023

Does depression in caregivers affect the prognosis of Parkinson’s disease patients?

Researchers assessed the relationship between care providers with depressive symptoms and the quality of life, hospital admissions, and emergency department consultations of Parkinson’s disease patients.

17 Aug 2023

Peppermint oil may be new option for pain relief after open heart surgery

The use of essential peppermint oil aromatherapy may ease pain severity after open heart surgery and enhance sleep quality as well, suggest the results of a small comparative clinical trial, published online in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

3 Aug 2023

PCORI awards $208 million to fund 17 new comparative clinical effectiveness research studies

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) today announced funding awards totaling $208 million to support 17 new comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) studies, including four trials of particularly large scale and scope tackling complex questions.

18 Jul 2023

Study describes the scope and integration of music therapy program within UH medical centers

A new study from University Hospitals (UH) Connor Whole Health describes the scope and integration of their music therapy program within10 UH medical centers.

14 Jul 2023

UCSF's new pain clinic in Walnut Creek offers hope for children with chronic pain

Each year, too many kids in the East Bay suffer needlessly from pain related to long-term serious illness, including migraines, joint and abdominal pain, sickle cell anemia and more. A new UCSF Health pain clinic in Walnut Creek is opening to provide relief.

11 Jul 2023

Majority of dying patients in UK hospitals have unmet needs

People dying in UK hospitals without specialist palliative care input frequently have "significant and poorly identified unmet needs," finds a UK-wide evaluation-;the first of its kind-;published online in the journal BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care.

10 Jul 2023

MTB offers precision oncology strategy for advanced cancer patients

The collaborative group led by the Department of Clinical Oncology, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) and the Division of Clinical Pathology & Molecular Pathology, Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital (HKSH), have recently published their findings on the clinical importance of the Multidisciplinary Molecular Tumour Board (MTB) in delivering a Precision Cancer Medicine service.

7 Jul 2023