Skip to main content

Early, Virtual Palliative Care Feasible for Advanced Lung Cancer

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 17, 2024.

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.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2024

Read this next

Before and After Market Testing Rare for Cardiovascular Devices With Class I Recalls

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2024 -- Cardiovascular devices with Class I recalls appear to be rarely subjected to premarket or postmarket testing, according to a study published online...

Study Looks at Sex Differences in Melanoma Incidence

TUESDAY, Sept. 17, 2024 -- Melanoma rates differ for men and women, including in terms of ages of occurrence and locations of melanoma, according to a study published online June...

Childhood BMI Linked to Increased Risk for Schizophrenia

MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 -- Childhood body mass index (BMI) has a direct and enduring effect on the risk for schizophrenia later in life, according to a study published online Sept...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.