When should you switch from active treatment to palliative care? A new study gives answers.
If you or someone you know has battled cancer, hope for a miraculous treatment is ever present. However, a group of researchers from Yale Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that many late-stage cancer interventions do not yield positive outcomes.
Published in JAMA Oncology on May 16, the study analyzed health records of 78,446 adult patients from 280 US cancer clinics between 2015 and 2019. Focusing on patients with metastatic and advanced tumors in common cancers like breast, colorectal, lung, pancreas, kidney, and urothelial, the study aimed to determine if oncologic treatments for advanced tumors improved survival rates.
The results showed that there was no statistically significant survival benefit for patients receiving systemic treatments across all cancer types studied. This finding led the researchers to suggest revisiting goals of care conversations with patients and possibly transitioning those with metastatic disease to supportive care.
By shedding light on the futility of certain late-stage cancer treatments, the study aims to help oncologists make more informed decisions and improve end-of-life care based on patient preferences.
