NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Palliative Care, Version 2.2021.

Palliative care has evolved to be an integral part of comprehensive cancer care with the goal of early intervention to improve quality of life and patient outcomes. The NCCN Guidelines for Palliative Care provide recommendations to help the primary oncology team promote the best quality of life possible throughout the illness trajectory for each patient with cancer. The NCCN Palliative Care Panel meets annually to evaluate and update recommendations based on panel members' clinical expertise and emerging scientific data. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel's recent discussions and highlights updates on the importance of fostering adaptive coping strategies for patients and families, and on the role of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions to optimize symptom management.

Early Palliative Care Consultation in the Medical ICU: A Cluster Randomized Crossover Trial.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of early triggered palliative care consultation on the outcomes of high-risk ICU patients. DESIGN: Single-center cluster randomized crossover trial. SETTING: Two medical ICUs at Barnes Jewish Hospital. PATIENTS: Patients (n = 199) admitted to the medical ICUs from August 2017 to May 2018 with a positive palliative care screen indicating high risk for morbidity or mortality. INTERVENTIONS: The medical ICUs were randomized to intervention or usual care followed by washout and crossover, with independent assignment of patients to each ICU at admission. Intervention arm patients received a palliative care consultation from an interprofessional team led by board-certified palliative care providers within 48 hours of ICU admission. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Ninety-seven patients (48.7%) were assigned to the intervention and 102 (51.3%) to usual care. Transition to do-not-resuscitate/do-not-intubate occurred earlier and significantly more often in the intervention group than the control group (50.5% vs 23.4%; p < 0.0001). The intervention group had significantly more transfers to hospice care (18.6% vs 4.9%; p < 0.01) with fewer ventilator days (median 4 vs 6 d; p < 0.05), tracheostomies performed (1% vs 7.8%; p < 0.05), and postdischarge emergency department visits and/or readmissions (17.3% vs 38.9%; p < 0.01). Although total operating cost was not significantly different, medical ICU (p < 0.01) and pharmacy (p < 0.05) operating costs were significantly lower in the intervention group. There was no significant difference in ICU length of stay (median 5 vs 5.5 d), hospital length of stay (median 10 vs 11 d), in-hospital mortality (22.6% vs 29.4%), or 30-day mortality between groups (35.1% vs 36.3%) (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Early triggered palliative care consultation was associated with greater transition to do-not-resuscitate/do-not-intubate and to hospice care, as well as decreased ICU and post-ICU healthcare resource utilization. Our study suggests that routine palliative care consultation may positively impact the care of high risk, critically ill patients.

Palliative radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer patients with bone metastases at diagnosis: A hospital-based analysis of patterns of care, RT fractionation scheme, and overall survival.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies associated with bone metastases, and palliative radiation therapy (RT) is an effective treatment option. A total of 2641 patients were identified with PCa and bone metastases at diagnosis from 2010 to 2014 in the NCDB. Fractionation scheme was designated as short course ([SC-RT]: 8 Gy in 1 fraction and 20 Gy in 5 fractions) vs long course ([LC-RT]: 30 Gy in 10 fractions and 37.5 Gy in 15 fractions). Patient characteristics were correlated with fractionation scheme using logistic regression. Overall survival was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, Cox proportional hazards models, and propensity score-matched analyses. A total of 2255 (85.4%) patients were included in the LC-RT group and 386 (14.6%) patients in the SC-RT group. SC-RT was more common in patients over 75 years age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-2.20), treatment at an academic center (OR: 1.76, 1.20-2.57), living greater than 15 miles distance to treatment facility (OR: 1.38, 1.05-1.83), treatment to the rib (OR: 2.99, 1.36-6.60), and in 2014 (OR: 1.73, 1.19-2.51). RT to the spine was more commonly long course (P < .0001). In the propensity-matched cohort, LC-RT was associated with improved OS (P < .0001), but no OS difference was observed between 37.5 Gy and either 8 Gy in one fraction or 20 Gy in 5 fractions (P > .5). LC-RT remains the most common treatment fractionation scheme for palliative bone metastases in PCa patients. Use of palliative SC-RT is increasing, particularly in more recent years, for older patients, treatment at academic centers, and with increasing distance from a treatment center.

NCCN Frameworks for Resource Stratification of NCCN Guidelines: Adult Cancer Pain and Palliative Care.

The NCCN Framework aims to provide adapted guidelines for low- and middle-resource countries to improve the experience of patients with cancer. In particular, the NCCN Frameworks for Adult Cancer Pain and Palliative Care and were designed to help expand access to pain management and palliative care for patients in low-resource countries. The NCCN Framework is one of several tools that can improve cancer care in the developing world. The NCCN Harmonized Guidelines for Sub-Saharan Africa, a collaborative effort between NCCN, American Cancer Society, Clinton Health Access Initiative, and African Cancer Coalition, was developed to harmonize NCCN recommendations with local guidelines across Africa and to make best use of available services and resources.

NCCN Guidelines Insights: Palliative Care, Version 2.2017.

The NCCN Guidelines for Palliative Care provide interdisciplinary recommendations on palliative care for patients with cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize and provide context for the updated guidelines recommendations regarding hospice and end-of-life (EOL) care. Updates for 2017 include revisions to and restructuring of the algorithms that address important EOL concerns. These recommendations were revised to provide clearer guidance for oncologists as they care for patients with cancer who are approaching the transition to EOL care. Recommendations for interventions and reassessment based on estimated life expectancy were streamlined and reprioritized to promote hospice referrals and improved EOL care.

The effect of a multidisciplinary palliative care initiative on end of life care in gynecologic oncology patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of palliative care (PC) consultation on hospice enrollment and end-of-life care in gynecologic oncology patients. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of gynecologic oncology patients who died 1year before and after 2014 implementation of a PC initiative for patients at a single NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center. Patient demographics, admission and procedural history, anti-cancer therapy, and end-of- life care were collected retrospectively. Data was analyzed using Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-Square test, or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: We identified 308 patients. Median age at death was 63years (range 17 to 91). Most patients were white (78.2%), married (47.4%), and had ovarian (35.7%) or uterine cancers (35.4%). Introduction of the PC initiative was associated with increased PC consultations (40%, 53%, p=0.02), increased hospice enrollment (57%, 61%, p=0.29), and fewer procedures in the last 30days of life (44%, 31%, p=0.01). The rate of enrollment to inpatient hospice doubled from 12.5% to 25.7% (p=0.02) while time from inpatient hospice enrollment to death increased from 1.9 to 6.0days (p=0.02). Time from outpatient hospice enrollment to death increased from 26.2 to 35.4days (p=0.18). PC consultation was associated with a doubling of outpatient (40%) and inpatient (80%) hospice enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: The PC quality improvement initiative was associated with more palliative care consults, increased rates of inpatient and outpatient hospice utilization, increased time on hospice, and fewer procedures in the last 30days of life, although most women were not enrolled until the last days of life.

A Randomized Trial of Palliative Care Discussions Linked to an Automated Early Warning System Alert.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an Early Warning System could identify patients wishing to focus on palliative care measures. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, pilot study. SETTING: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Saint Louis, MO (January 15, 2015, to December 12, 2015). PATIENTS: A total of 206 patients; 89 intervention (43.2%) and 117 controls (56.8%). INTERVENTIONS: Palliative care in high-risk patients targeted by an Early Warning System. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Advanced directive documentation was significantly greater prior to discharge in the intervention group (37.1% vs 15.4%; p < 0.001) as were first-time requests for advanced directive documentation (14.6% vs 0.0%; p < 0.001). Documentation of resuscitation status was also greater prior to discharge in the intervention group (36.0% vs 23.1%; p = 0.043). There was no difference in the number of patients requesting a change in resuscitation status between groups (11.2% vs 9.4%; p = 0.666). However, changes in resuscitation status occurred earlier and on the general medicine units for the intervention group compared to the control group. The number of patients transferred to an ICU was significantly lower for intervention patients (12.4% vs 27.4%; p = 0.009). The median (interquartile range) ICU length of stay was significantly less for the intervention group (0 [0-0] vs 0 [0-1] d; p = 0.014). Hospital mortality was similar (12.4% vs 10.3%; p = 0.635). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that automated Early Warning System alerts can identify patients potentially benefitting from directed palliative care discussions and reduce the number of ICU transfers.

Palliative Care Version 1.2016.

The NCCN Guidelines for Palliative Care provide interdisciplinary recommendations on palliative care for patients with cancer. The NCCN Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to the primary oncology team on the integration of palliative care into oncology. The NCCN Palliative Care Panel's recommendations seek to ensure that each patient experiences the best quality of life possible throughout the illness trajectory. Accordingly, the NCCN Guidelines outline best practices for screening, assessment, palliative care interventions, reassessment, and after-death care.

Palliative care, Version 1.2014. Featured updates to the NCCN Guidelines.

The NCCN Guidelines for Palliative Care provide interdisciplinary recommendations on palliative care for patients with cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the NCCN panel's discussions and guideline updates from 2013 and 2014. These include modifications/additions to palliative care screening and assessment protocols, new considerations for discussing the benefits and risks of anticancer therapy, and approaches to advance care planning. Recent updates focus on enhanced patient-centered care and seek to promote earlier integration of palliative care and advance care planning in oncology.