Early, Virtual Palliative Care Feasible for Advanced Lung Cancer
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2024 -- The delivery of early, virtual palliative care has similar effects on quality of life as in-person care in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Joseph A. Greer, Ph.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues evaluated whether delivering specialty-trained early palliative care via secure video versus in-person visits has an equivalent effect on quality of life in patients with advanced NSCLC. The analysis included 1,250 patients within 12 weeks of diagnosis of advanced NSCLC and 548 caregivers treated at 22 U.S. cancer centers from June 14, 2018, to May 4, 2023.
The researchers found that by 24 weeks, participants (mean age, 65.5 years; 54.0 percent women) had a mean of 4.7 (video) and 4.9 (in-person) early palliative care encounters. The groups had similar patient-reported quality-of-life scores (video mean of 99.7 versus in-person mean of 97.7). For video visits, rate of caregiver participation was lower than in-person early palliative care (36.6 versus 49.7 percent). Study groups were similar for caregiver quality of life, patient coping, or patient and caregiver satisfaction with care, mood symptoms, or prognostic perceptions.
"Findings underscore the potential to increase access to evidence-based early palliative care through telehealth delivery," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to industry.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2024
Read this next
Parent-Reported Firearm Storage Poor Estimator of Teen Perceived Access
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Parent-reported firearm storage seems to be a poor estimator of teen perceived firearm access, according to a study published online June 10 in JAMA...
CT Colonography Cost-Effective, Clinically Effective for CRC Screening
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- Computed tomography colonography (CTC) is cost-effective and clinically effective for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, according to a study published...
Global Incidence Rate of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increased From 1990 to 2021
MONDAY, June 16, 2025 -- The incidence rate of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased globally from 1990 to 2021, with the heaviest burden born by regions with a high...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.