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.

Dartmouth Atlas Project releases new report on cancer care

A new report released today from the Dartmouth Atlas Project showing that individuals in some areas of the country are far less likely to receive comfort care in accordance with their wishes has drawn the attention of the nation's hospice and palliative care community.

17 Nov 2010

Progenics initiates ONO-3849 phase 2 clinical trial for OIC in Japan

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initiation of a phase 2 clinical trial of subcutaneous methylnaltrexone in Japan by its collaborator, Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The drug, designated ONO-3849 in Japan, is being evaluated for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with advanced illness such as cancer.

17 Nov 2010

Conference of The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics to focus on health disparities

The 22nd annual conference of The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago will be held at the University of Chicago Law School, 1111 E. 60th Street, on Fri., Nov. 12, from 1 to 5 pm, and Sat., Nov. 13, from 7:30 am to 5:15 pm.

10 Nov 2010

New guide predicts survival of terminally ill cancer patients

A new way of predicting how long terminally ill cancer patients have to live, has been devised by Cancer Research UK-funded research.

9 Nov 2010

Progenics third quarter net loss increases to $17.1 million

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced its results of operations for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2010.

8 Nov 2010

Dementia patients should receive high-quality palliative care

The system for hospice admissions for patients with advanced dementia, which is a terminal illness, should be guided by patient and family preference for comfort, not estimated life expectancy, says a new study published in the Nov. 3 Journal of the American Medical Association by the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

3 Nov 2010

Professionals share ideas on effective ways to educate patients, practitioners and public about cancer

Florence Nightingale once said that apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation and fear of surprise do a patient more harm than any exertion. This valuable philosophy is shared by today's nurses, social workers and other healthcare professionals as they work to educate every patient -- before, during and after their treatment, leaving no question unanswered.

29 Oct 2010

Researchers explore knowledge of palliative care oncologists with respect to genetic testing

If you were dying from cancer, would you consider genetic testing. A recent study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center showed that most terminally ill cancer patients who were eligible for genetic testing never received it despite that it could potentially save a relative's life.

28 Oct 2010

AseraCare publishes guide book on hospice

AseraCare Hospice, one of the nation's premier providers of hospice and palliative care services, has published Hospice: The Loving Circle of Care, a book that guides readers through the difficult process of deciding when to seek hospice. Hospice: The Loving Circle of Care helps hospice patients and their families as well as physicians and caregivers understand hospice and its benefits, while providing personal accounts of AseraCare patient experiences.

27 Oct 2010

Participants explore role of pediatric oncology nurses at APHON 34th Annual Convention

"While this is a topic most people - even nurses - avoid, it was a most informative presentation for me," said a participant in the session on "The Art of Pediatric Palliative Care Nursing" at the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses 34th Annual Convention, October 14-16, 2010, in Minneapolis, MN.

22 Oct 2010

CIHR, RX&D - HRF to fund research projects on mental illness, palliative care

Six research projects on co-existing heath problems associated with mental illness and one project on palliative care among First Nations received over $9 million in funding announced today. This amount is provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation.

22 Oct 2010

New website provides access to hospice care

Hospice Care of South Carolina, the largest hospice care provider in South Carolina, recently launched a new website designed to help people facing an advanced illness and their loved ones gain earlier access to hospice care.

19 Oct 2010

Long-term care news: Insurance costs jump; nurses' training pays off

The Wall Street Journal: "People with long-term care insurance policies are getting hit with a new round of steep premium increases," which insurers attribute to "policyholders living longer, generating higher claims and canceling fewer policies than they had projected."

18 Oct 2010

Costs for end-of-life care rising, hospice care may be an antidote

Health care costs at the end of life show no signs of leveling off, according to new research from the United States and Canada published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

15 Oct 2010

GSA and NAM select journalists for new MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and New America Media (NAM) have selected 15 journalists for the new MetLife Foundation Journalists in Aging Fellows Program. They represent a wide range of traditional, new, and ethnic media, such as USA Today, Sing Tao Daily, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and TheAtlantic.com.

14 Oct 2010

Study examines health-care costs among heart failure patients in Canada

As the population ages, health care epidemiologist Padma Kaul and cardiologist Paul Armstrong, researchers in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta, want health-care professionals to talk to their patients about their options on places to die, whether it be at home, in hospital or a palliative care facility like hospice.

13 Oct 2010

Challenges in provision of high-quality health care at end of life

Health care in the last six months of life has become progressively more expensive for patients with heart failure both among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States and older adults in Canada, with a high rate of hospitalizations in the final six months of life in both countries, according to two reports posted online today that will be published in the February 14 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

12 Oct 2010

Most men with prostate cancer not referred to hospice care early enough

More than half of men dying of prostate cancer use hospice care - a significant increase over the last two decades - but most wait too long to enroll so they can't take full advantage of the palliative care that could make their deaths easier, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.

12 Oct 2010

Study finds link between malnutrition and prolonged hospital stay

Hospital patients admitted with malnutrition or who don't eat for several days are at greater risk of a prolonged hospital stay, according to a study published in CMAJ.

12 Oct 2010

$Pazopanib shows promise in phase-2 trial for relapsed/refractory urothelial cancer$

Pazopanib shows promise in phase-2 trial for relapsed/refractory urothelial cancer

An ongoing Phase-II trial investigating a new, targeted therapy for metastatic urothelial cancer has generated promising early results, Italian researchers reported at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Milan, Italy.

11 Oct 2010