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.

HHS partners with PEPFAR to invest $130M for African medical education

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief with a plan to invest $130 million over five years to transform African medical education and dramatically increase the number of health care workers.

7 Oct 2010

EONS launches new initiative to improve pain management for cancer patients

The European Oncology Nursing Society launches first European nurse initiative to examine current practices in breakthrough cancer pain and look at ways of improving patient outcomes in palliative care

7 Oct 2010

American Cancer Society awards 94 national research, training grants to 70 institutions nationwide

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 94 national research and training grants totaling $46,633,000 to 70 institutions nationwide in the first of two grants cycles for 2011.

7 Oct 2010

NHPCO releases report on hospice care in U.S

An estimated 41.6 percent of all people who died in the U.S. last year were under the care of a hospice program, reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (up from 38.8 percent in 2008 and 35 percent in 2007).

6 Oct 2010

Terminal metastatic cancer effectively treated in mice

Terminal metastatic cancer - the presently untreatable cause of the great majority of all cancer deaths - has now been effectively treated in three common fatal cancers in mice, announced Genomic Systems, citing research published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

5 Oct 2010

FDA, EMA and Health Canada approve Progenics' RELISTOR in pre-filled syringes

Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) of the European Union (E.U.) and Health Canada, the Canadian Regulatory Agency, have each approved single-use, pre-filled syringes of RELISTOR® (methylnaltrexone bromide) Subcutaneous Injection for use in their respective territories. These pre-filled syringes provide a simplified dosing option for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in palliative-care patients with advanced illness.

30 Sep 2010

Depression and anxiety disorders common in loved ones of breast cancer patients: Study

Earlier studies have shown that women living with breast cancer are at a risk of depression but new studies have shown that their partners are at a similar risk. The study looked at more than a million men enrolled in a nationwide Danish health registry followed for 13 years.

28 Sep 2010

Disenrollment from hospice increases costs of care for cancer patients

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that the costs of care for patients with cancer who disenrolled from hospice were nearly five times higher than for patients who remained with hospice. Patients who disenroll from hospice are far more likely to use emergency department care and be hospitalized. The results are published in the October 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

24 Sep 2010

HFSA to discuss 'Designing the Medical Home for Heart Failure Patients' at Scientific Meeting

The 14th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) will feature a discussion titled "Designing the Medical Home for Heart Failure Patients." Contributors Dr. Mary Norine Walsh and Dr. Larry A. Allen will describe treatment and care strategies in the medical home model and how they impact both patients and caregivers.

16 Sep 2010

Caregivers at higher risk for PTSD when cancer patients die in hospital

Cancer patients who die in the hospital or an intensive care unit have worse quality of life at the end-of-life, compared to patients who die at home with hospice services, and their caregivers are at higher risk for developing psychiatric illnesses during bereavement, according to a study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

16 Sep 2010

Milwaukee sees fast rise in costs of benefits; N.J. Gov. outlines cuts to public workers' benefits; Hawaii teachers file suit over health changes

"The cost of health benefits appears to be rising at a much faster pace in the Milwaukee area than the national average. Employers reported that the cost of health benefits increased 11% to 13% on average in the Milwaukee area this year, according to the 2010 Greater Milwaukee Employer Health Care Benefits Survey

16 Sep 2010

Guidance allowing children with life-limiting illness to receive both hospice care and curative treatments praised

The families of dying children who are covered under Medicaid or the Medicaid expansion Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will no longer face the choice of stopping curative treatments in order for their terminally ill child to receive quality end-of-life care from hospice.

14 Sep 2010

Heart Failure Society of America's 14th Annual Scientific Meeting convenes September 12, 2010

The Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) 14th Annual Scientific Meeting convened Sunday, September 12, 2010 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. This four-day meeting -- a forum for heart failure specialists to present research findings and advances in treatment -- will address emerging trends in research and new developments in the approach to treating patients with all stages of heart failure.

13 Sep 2010

Defining best practices in palliative care in Europe

Palliative care is not just about pain relief, albeit an important component, but embraces a wide range of patient care, with the aim of improving the quality of a patient's life and upholding his or her sense of dignity. Palliative care - not to be confused with 'care at any cost'- implies the involvement of patients' families, as active caregivers as well as people to take care of: their quality of life is also a primary objective.

13 Sep 2010

CAP forges collaboration with CAP-ACP and RCPA for development of cancer protocols

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) recently signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the Canadian Association of Pathologists (CAP-ACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists Australasia (RCPA), forging a collaboration in the development of cancer datasets, also called protocols. The CAP Cancer Protocols are designed as a guideline for definitive cancer reporting.

13 Sep 2010

Improving palliative care may reduce healthcare costs, improve outcomes

There may be no simple one-size-fits-all approach to improving end-of-life care in ICU settings, according to a recent study from some of the world's leading researchers in palliative care.

13 Sep 2010

Using opioids at end-of-life care proves effective to control pain

Patients who choose to spend their last days at home with specialized care and monitoring can safely be given opioids to control pain and other symptoms without reducing survival time, according to a study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine (JPM), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

10 Sep 2010

NICE releases new guidelines to improve cancer care

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a new guideline which should help to improve care for thousands of patients with advanced cancer that has spread from an unknown primary location.

10 Sep 2010

Multi-disciplinary team awarded grant to develop interdisciplinary oncology palliative care education program

A multi-disciplinary team representing the schools of Medicine, Nursing and Social Work at the University of Louisville, as well as clinical pastoral education programs in three Louisville hospitals, has been awarded a grant of $1,518,092 from the National Institutes of Health that will fund the development, implementation and evaluation of an interdisciplinary oncology palliative care education program. Work related to the project will begin immediately.

9 Sep 2010

CTTC's Calmare therapy effective against pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Competitive Technologies, Inc. announced today the publication of the detailed results from a study that shows the successful treatment of patients suffering from pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) using CTTC's Calmare® Pain Therapy Treatment

9 Sep 2010

Palliative Care News and Research

Further Reading

HHS partners with PEPFAR to invest $130M for African medical education

EONS launches new initiative to improve pain management for cancer patients

American Cancer Society awards 94 national research, training grants to 70 institutions nationwide

NHPCO releases report on hospice care in U.S

Terminal metastatic cancer effectively treated in mice

FDA, EMA and Health Canada approve Progenics' RELISTOR in pre-filled syringes

Depression and anxiety disorders common in loved ones of breast cancer patients: Study

Disenrollment from hospice increases costs of care for cancer patients

HFSA to discuss 'Designing the Medical Home for Heart Failure Patients' at Scientific Meeting

Caregivers at higher risk for PTSD when cancer patients die in hospital

Milwaukee sees fast rise in costs of benefits; N.J. Gov. outlines cuts to public workers' benefits; Hawaii teachers file suit over health changes

Guidance allowing children with life-limiting illness to receive both hospice care and curative treatments praised

Heart Failure Society of America's 14th Annual Scientific Meeting convenes September 12, 2010

Defining best practices in palliative care in Europe

CAP forges collaboration with CAP-ACP and RCPA for development of cancer protocols

Improving palliative care may reduce healthcare costs, improve outcomes

Using opioids at end-of-life care proves effective to control pain

NICE releases new guidelines to improve cancer care

Multi-disciplinary team awarded grant to develop interdisciplinary oncology palliative care education program

CTTC's Calmare therapy effective against pain associated with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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