Care Near Life's End: More Findings from an Important Lung Cancer Study

In a recent randomized trial, 151 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer received standard oncology treatment or standard treatment plus monthly outpatient palliative care visits (starting immediately after diagnosis). Initial results showed that patients in the palliative care group reported better quality of life and lived longer than those who received standard care only (JW Gen Med Sep 30 2010). Now, the researchers report additional findings at longer-term follow-up.

Nearly all patients in both groups had died at 18 months of follow-up. Mean number of chemotherapy regimens was similar in the two groups, but participants in the early palliative care group were significantly less likely to receive intravenous …