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.

Breast cancer drug shows promise in treating young infants with PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum

PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS) is a group of rare, incurable disorders caused by mutations in the PIK3CA gene that result in the malformation and overgrowth of various parts of the body.

26 Jan 2022

American College of Surgeons and JAHF join hands to improve surgical care for older adults

Today the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program and The John A. Hartford Foundation announced their work on a new partnership to improve surgical care for older adults while serving diverse populations across the nation.

22 Jan 2022

Harrowing deaths are too common in most parts of the world, survey shows

Among the most troubling scenes from the COVID-19 era are the images of patients dying in isolation, unable to be with loved ones during their final moments. But even before the pandemic, harrowing deaths were all too common in most parts of the world, a new survey of end-of-life care shows.

18 Jan 2022

Black-owned hospice seeks to bring greater ease in dying to Black families

This time, it didn’t take much persuading for Mary Murphy to embrace home hospice. When her mother was dying from Alzheimer’s disease in 2020, she had been reluctant until she saw what a help it was. So when her husband, Willie, neared the end of his life, she embraced hospice again.

10 Jan 2022

A new paradigm is needed: Top experts question the value of advance care planning

For decades, Americans have been urged to fill out documents specifying their end-of-life wishes before becoming terminally ill — living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders, and other written materials expressing treatment preferences.

6 Jan 2022

Revision of pain management guidelines to ensure balance in national policies on controlled substances

In June 2019, WHO announced the revision of two pain management guidelines. A full web statement on this revision can be found here.

5 Jan 2022

Parents, siblings of children with life-threatening conditions have higher rates of healthcare encounters

Being the parent or sibling of a child with a life-threatening condition can take a mental and physical toll on other members of the family.

20 Dec 2021

Study finds high psychological distress among UK nursing and midwifery workforce during COVID-19

Extremely concerning levels of psychological distress are reported in results from a longitudinal study of the UK nursing and midwifery workforce during COVID-19. The findings could help how staff are supported in healthcare services now and in future.

16 Dec 2021

Cardinal Health survey of oncologists shines light on mental health distress affecting cancer patients

More than 80% of oncologists frequently see mental health distress in their patients with cancer, and more than 90% say it has a significant impact on their health outcomes.

9 Dec 2021

New consensus-based recommendations designed to improve quality of life for DMD patients

Many more adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are living longer thanks to improvements in treatment, however international standards of care have not yet fully addressed the complex needs of these patients.

9 Dec 2021

New California law eases aid-in-dying process

During her three-year battle with breast cancer, my wife, Leslie, graciously endured multiple rounds of horrifically toxic treatment to eke out more time with our two young children.

3 Dec 2021

Pediatric COVID-19 and PIMS-TS: hospitalization, severe disease and mortality risk

The aim of the study was to assess the risk for these outcomes among children of various ages.

3 Dec 2021

Covid-19 could reduce the perception of pain in oncological patients

Physicians from the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have observed a surprising phenomenon during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: some patients with cancer-related pain have experiences a significant decrease or even disappearance of pain perception during the acute phase of infection.

22 Nov 2021

WHO joins global advocates to commemorate Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination

Today WHO joins advocates around the world to commemorate a landmark Day of Action for Cervical Cancer Elimination and welcome groundbreaking new initiatives to end this devastating disease, which claims the lives of over 300 000 women each year.

17 Nov 2021

Repeated listening to favorite music induces beneficial brain plasticity in Alzheimer’s patients

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto have demonstrated that repeated listening to personally meaningful music induces beneficial brain plasticity in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease.

9 Nov 2021

‘Covid hit us over the head with a two-by-four’: Addressing ageism with urgency

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization announced a global campaign to combat ageism — discrimination against older adults that is pervasive and harmful but often unrecognized.

5 Nov 2021

What are the risk factors for severe disease in children hospitalized for SARS-CoV-2 infection?

A new preprint describes an effort to describe the risk factors for severe COVID-19 in children.

2 Nov 2021

Daily use of cannabidiol oil may shrink lung tumors

It may be worth exploring further the use of cannabidiol ('CBD') oil as a potential lung cancer treatment, suggest doctors in BMJ Case Reports after dealing with a daily user whose lung tumor shrank without the aid of conventional treatment.

15 Oct 2021

$94 million PCORI funding to support the next phase of PCORnet and new colorectal cancer study in older adults

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Board of Governors today approved $61.3 million for a slate of several infrastructure projects that will support the activities of eight Clinical Research Networks to implement the next phase of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

29 Sep 2021

Many cancer survivors continue to suffer long-term burdensome symptoms, study shows

Previous standards of cancer follow-up care and support may no longer meet current needs as improvements in screening practices, early diagnosis and treatment of cancer have put long-term survival beyond five years following diagnosis within reach for more than half of patients in Europe.

20 Sep 2021