New Systematic Analysis of Palliative Care Efficacy: Methodological Challenges, Mixed Results

Palliative care programs now are widespread in the U.S., but, in systematic analyses conducted in 2008 (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol May 2008 and JAMA 2008; 299:1698) and 2011 (J Support Oncol 2011; 9:87), evidence for the efficacy of these programs was inconsistent and inconclusive. Now, to incorporate new evidence, investigators have reviewed 43 randomized clinical trials that involved nearly 13,000 adults with life-limiting illnesses and performed a meta-analysis of 23 of these trials to examine the effects of palliative care on symptom burden, quality of life (QOL), and survival. Most of the included trials were home-based or in ambulatory settings.

Palliative care was associated with statistically and clinically significant improvements in QOL…