In the face of death, telling and sharing our story helps us make sense of dying
By Amanda Bingley, Lancaster University. For those who may feel that many decades separate them from their deaths, contemplating the end of life seems difficult, even abstract. But stories of the dying...
View ArticleWhat are your chances of living two years? Patient and Doctors’ views differ
Misunderstandings about prognosis between US patients with advanced cancer and their doctors was common, in a study reported in JAMA Oncology, and the vast majority of patients didn’t know that their...
View ArticlePsilocybin eases existential anxiety in people with life-threatening cancer
In a small double-blind study, Johns Hopkins researchers report that a substantial majority of people suffering cancer-related anxiety or depression found considerable relief for up to six months from...
View ArticleSupportive care for cancer patients remains inadequate
Pain relief and other forms of supportive care for cancer patients are insufficient, researchers report at the ESMO ASIA 2016 Congress in Singapore. They also highlight that side-effects to...
View ArticleUK MDT meetings are under growing pressure
The increasing number of patients being discussed at expert cancer meetings means that specialists are under growing pressure, according to a Cancer Research UK report published today. Last year, 1.4...
View ArticleAre our busy doctors and nurses losing empathy for patients?
Sue Dean, University of Technology Sydney. Every day, doctors, nurses and other health professionals are presented with situations that demand empathy and compassion. Whether telling a 40-year-old man...
View ArticleCan a dying patient be a healthy person?
Richard Gunderman, Indiana University and James W Lynch, University of Florida The news was bad. Mimi, a woman in her early 80s, had been undergoing treatment for lymphoma. Her husband was being...
View ArticleEarly palliative care provides no quality of life benefits for recently...
Early specialist palliative care for patients that were recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) does not impact quality of life (QOL) measures, according to research presented by...
View ArticlePatients with depression and advanced cancer survive longer with palliative...
A new study finds that patients with depression and advanced cancer live longer when exposed to palliative care interventions designed to improve quality of life. Published in Health Psychology as an...
View ArticleExpert Review: COSA ASM 2017 Day 2 by Kim Hobbs
With a theme this year of “Immunotherapy: Molecules and Mountains” the 44th Annual Scientific Meeting promised a brave new world of exciting developments in cancer treatment. The sub-theme of safety...
View ArticlePalliative care may reduce suicide risk in veterans with lung cancer
Results from a large-scale patient population study, recently published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, reveal palliative care is associated with a reduced risk of suicide in veterans...
View ArticleAre preventive drugs overused at the end of life in older adults with cancer?
A study has revealed that preventive medications – such as those to lower blood pressure or cholesterol, or to protect bone health, among others are commonly prescribed during the last year of life of...
View ArticleEarly palliative care offers no extra benefit for mesothelioma patients
Early specialist palliative care treatment does not improve the quality of life for patients diagnosed with the rare cancer mesothelioma when compared to standard care alone, new research led by Curtin...
View ArticleEarly palliative care for advanced lung cancer increases survival
Early palliative care is associated with better survival in patients with advanced lung cancer, according to a study by VA Portland Health Care System and Oregon Health and Science University...
View ArticleAlgorithm identifies cancer patients in need of advance care planning...
Many cancer patients do not get the opportunity to discuss their wishes for treatment until their illness has progressed too far, when it may be too late to have those discussions with loved ones or...
View ArticleTackling taboos: Can we agree on how to talk about end-of-life with young...
A death illiterate society We, as a society, are not particularly good at dealing with death. In modern Western societies, medical advances (together with social changes in elder-care) mean that it is...
View ArticleGhana needs a better policy to guide care for cancer patients
Yakubu Salifu, Lancaster University The World Health Assembly urged countries in 2014 to include palliative care into their health systems. Its resolution called for equitable services, available to...
View ArticleMajor differences in palliative care provision across the globe
A major review of palliative care services around the world has highlighted huge inconsistencies in provision, with patients in some countries receiving a fraction of the support provided elsewhere....
View ArticleIncurable cancer: Patients need palliative care support early on
So far, there has been little research into supportive care needs in patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer and as their disease progresses. That is why experts from the German Cancer Society’s...
View ArticleBereavement during COVID-19 by Liz Lobb
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every aspect of life, including how we die and how we grieve. The effects of this unprecedented situation are likely to continue ricocheting through society into the...
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