Palliative Care News and Research

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Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

Is the human immune system similar to the weather, a seemingly random yet dynamical system that can be modeled based on past conditions to predict future states? Scientists at VCU Massey Cancer Center's award-winning Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program believe it is, and they recently published several studies that support the possibility of using next-generation DNA sequencing and mathematical modeling to not only understand the variability observed in clinical outcomes of stem cell transplantation, but also to provide a theoretical framework to make transplantation a possibility for more patients who do not have a related donor.

5 Dec 2014

New WHO guidance provides cervical cancer control and prevention approach

New guidance from WHO aims to help countries better prevent and control cervical cancer. The disease is one of the world's deadliest - but most easily preventable - forms of cancer for women, responsible for more than 270 000 deaths annually, 85% of which occur in developing countries.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers show that iPS cells can be used to edit genetic mutations that cause DMD

Researchers at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, show that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be used to correct genetic mutations that cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

27 Nov 2014

A goodwill ambassador of palliative care

Leanne Schoberl could have put anyone's picture on the home screen of her cell phone. "She loved American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. She envisioned marrying him one day," says Leanne's father John Schoberl.

14 Nov 2014

Unique immunochemotherapy approach to treating pancreatic cancer

VCU Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers discovered a unique approach to treating pancreatic cancer that may be potentially safe and effective. The treatment method involves immunochemotherapy - a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which uses the patient's own immune system to help fight against disease.

13 Nov 2014

Hospice care lowers hospitalization, ICU admissions and invasive procedures for Medicare patients

Medicare patients with poor prognosis cancers who received hospice care had significantly lower rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and invasive procedures at the end of life, along with significantly lower health care expenditures during the last year of life, according to a study in the November 12 issue of JAMA.

12 Nov 2014

Top 5 things to talk about in end-of-life discussions with hospitalized patients, their families

A study led by a McMaster University researcher has identified the top five things health care teams should discuss with hospitalized patients and their families at the end of life, but the research also found gaps between what patients would like and the care they receive.

5 Nov 2014

VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers develop tool for measuring cancer health literacy

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Massey Cancer Center researchers have developed the first and only tool that can accurately measure cancer health literacy (CHL) and quickly identify patients with limited CHL. This tool has the potential to improve communication and understanding between physicians and patients, which, in turn, could lead to better clinical outcomes.

4 Nov 2014

Hospice of the Western Reserve honors more than 2,000 veterans in 2014

Americans across the country will observe Veterans Day on November 11, a special day to salute the men and women who have bravely served our country.

4 Nov 2014

PP&AR: 1 out of 4 older Americans experience unwanted medical treatment

Nearly one out of four older Americans say that either they or a family member have experienced excessive or unwanted medical treatment, according to the latest issue of The Gerontological Society of America's Public Policy & Aging Report, which goes on to show that Americans strongly support holding doctors accountable when they fail to honor patients' end-of-life health care wishes.

31 Oct 2014

Four ACS members named recipients of ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards

Earlier this evening, four members of the American College of Surgeons were named recipients of the 2014 ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards in recognition of their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients, domestically and abroad.

30 Oct 2014

Duke researchers develop new collaborative cancer care model for patients

Doctors at Duke University Hospital have developed a new collaborative model in cancer care that reduced the rates at which patients were sent to intensive care or readmitted to the hospital after discharge.

25 Oct 2014

National nursing organizations collaborate to transform care for patients with serious illness

Three national nursing organizations today announced a collaborative effort to transform the care and culture of serious illness in the United States.

20 Oct 2014

Despite rise in use of hospice care, hospital-based services increase for ovarian cancer patients

There have been widespread efforts to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients. As more patients choose to spend their final days and weeks in hospice care rather than a hospital, the hope is the use of intensive and costly hospital services would decline.

17 Oct 2014

Inpatient palliative care can considerably reduce readmissions, hospital costs, shows study

Palliative care provided in the hospital offers known clinical benefits, and a new study shows that inpatient palliative care can also significantly lower the cost of hospitalization and the rate of readmissions.

17 Oct 2014

Cancer specialist outlines 10 symptoms that should never be ignored

Patients often ask, "Doc, is this something to worry about?" Patients fear the worst yet often choose to ignore potentially deadly warning signs.

29 Sep 2014

Anamorelin drug safe and well tolerated in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, Phase III trial reveals

A new drug, anamorelin, improves appetite and body mass in patients with advanced lung cancer who are suffering cancer anorexia and cachexia, according to phase III data presented at the ESMO 2014 Congress in Madrid, Spain.

29 Sep 2014

Phase III trial: Rolapitant lessens chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting

Rolapitant reduces nausea and vomiting in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy, according to the results of a phase III trial presented for the first time today at the ESMO 2014 Congress in Madrid, Spain.

29 Sep 2014

Caring Brands International acquires Australia-based Just Better Care

Caring Brands International, which includes Interim HealthCare Inc., a national network of home care, hospice and health staffing franchises founded in 1966 and known for its continuum of care in the United States, today expands its global operations with the acquisition of Australia-based Just Better Care.

25 Sep 2014

Helsinn to present Phase III trial data of anamorelin at ESMO Congress

Helsinn Group, a company focused on building quality cancer care, today announces that Phase III data from the largest trial program of its kind to date in anamorelin, a novel, once-daily ghrelin receptor agonist in development for cancer-anorexia-cachexia (CACS) in non-small cell lung cancer will be presented at the 38th European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Madrid, Spain, in 2014.

25 Sep 2014

Palliative Care News and Research

Further Reading

Scientists seek to improve stem cell transplant outcomes using DNA sequencing, mathematical modeling

New WHO guidance provides cervical cancer control and prevention approach

Researchers show that iPS cells can be used to edit genetic mutations that cause DMD

A goodwill ambassador of palliative care

Unique immunochemotherapy approach to treating pancreatic cancer

Hospice care lowers hospitalization, ICU admissions and invasive procedures for Medicare patients

Top 5 things to talk about in end-of-life discussions with hospitalized patients, their families

VCU Massey Cancer Center researchers develop tool for measuring cancer health literacy

Hospice of the Western Reserve honors more than 2,000 veterans in 2014

PP&AR: 1 out of 4 older Americans experience unwanted medical treatment

Four ACS members named recipients of ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards

Duke researchers develop new collaborative cancer care model for patients

National nursing organizations collaborate to transform care for patients with serious illness

Despite rise in use of hospice care, hospital-based services increase for ovarian cancer patients

Inpatient palliative care can considerably reduce readmissions, hospital costs, shows study

Cancer specialist outlines 10 symptoms that should never be ignored

Anamorelin drug safe and well tolerated in advanced non-small cell lung cancer, Phase III trial reveals

Phase III trial: Rolapitant lessens chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting

Caring Brands International acquires Australia-based Just Better Care

Helsinn to present Phase III trial data of anamorelin at ESMO Congress

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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