Literature Review

All posts tagged with “Clinical News | Disease Specific.”



American Oncology Network achieves success in first performance period of CMMI’s enhancing oncology model

04/23/25 at 03:00 AM

American Oncology Network achieves success in first performance period of CMMI’s enhancing oncology model Stock Titan, Globe Newswire, Fort Myers, FL; 4/22/25 American Oncology Network (AON), one of the nation’s fastest-growing community oncology networks, today announced strong results from the first performance period in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) Enhancing Oncology Model (EOM). AON practices participating in the program—in collaboration with value-based cancer care enabler Thyme Care—achieved nearly $6M in cost savings for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). AON also earned a performance-based payment while improving patient experience and outcomes.

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When they don't recognize you anymore

04/23/25 at 02:30 AM

When they don't recognize you anymore The New York Times - The New Old Age; by Paula Span; 4/20/25 People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. "It can throw people into an existential crisis," one expert said. [Additional access may require subscription.]

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Stark disparities in treatment and survival time for people with pancreatic cancer

04/23/25 at 02:00 AM

Stark disparities in treatment and survival time for people with pancreatic cancer Cancer Health, Plymouth Meeting, PA; by National Comprehensive Cancer Network; 4/22/25 New research in the April 2025 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network found significant disparities based on race, socioeconomic status, and other factors when it came to quality of care and outcomes for people with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma (mPDAC)—which is associated with very high cancer mortality. The researchers used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database to study 14,147 patients who were diagnosed with mPDAC between 2005–2019.

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MedPAC identifies low rates of hospice use among kidney disease patients

04/22/25 at 03:00 AM

MedPAC identifies low rates of hospice use among kidney disease patients McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/17/25 Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) use hospice at far lower rates than patients with other conditions, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. In 2023, 31% of Medicare decedents with ESRD used hospice services, compared with 52% of all Medicare decedents. Hospice lifetime length of stay is also lower among decedents with ESRD, at a median of six days compared with 18 for all Medicare decedents, MedPAC commissioners said during their April meeting. ...

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Access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer

04/21/25 at 03:00 AM

Access to hospice and certain services under the hospice benefit for beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease and beneficiaries with cancer MedPAC; by Kim Nueman, Grace Oh, and Nancy Ray; 4/11/25 [From MedPac Presentation Roadmap, Meetings held April 10 & 11, 2025]

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Palliative care and advanced cardiovascular disease in adults: Not just end-of-life care: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association

04/18/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care and advanced cardiovascular disease in adults: Not just end-of-life care: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association AHAIASA Journals - American Heart Association; by Lucinda J. Graven, PhD, APRN, FAHA, Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, MSN, BA, RN, Larry Allen, MD, MHS, FAHA, Angela Durante, PhD, RN, Lorraine S. Evangelista, PhD, RN, CNS, WAN, FAHA, Amy Fiedler, MD, James Kirkpatrick, MD, Lakeisha Mixon, MSW, and Rachel Wells, PhD, MSN, BA on behalf of the American Heart Association Complex Cardiovascular Nursing Care Science Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; and Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia; 4/17/25  ... This scientific statement (1) discusses the application of effective communication, shared decision-making, age-friendly care, and advance care planning in advanced cardiovascular disease palliative care; (2) provides a summary of recent evidence related to palliative care and symptom management, quality of life, spiritual and psychological support, and bereavement support in individuals with advanced cardiovascular disease and their care partners; (3) discusses issues involving diversity, equity, and inclusion in cardiovascular disease palliative care; (4) highlights the ethical and legal concerns surrounding palliative care and implanted cardiac devices; and (5) provides strategies for palliative care engagement in adults with advanced cardiovascular disease for the care team.

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Patient-centered communication drives supportive care needs in incurable cancer

04/17/25 at 03:00 AM

Patient-centered communication drives supportive care needs in incurable cancer Oncology Nursing News; by Kristie L. Kahl; 4/16/25 The Primary Palliative Care Communication Intervention (PRECURSOR) may improve the psychosocial experiences of patients with incurable gynecologic cancer and their caregivers in the outpatient setting, according to results of a pilot study presented at the 50th Annual ONS Congress. ... Currently, most of the conversation around supportive care is provider-driven, and clinical tendency is to insert palliative care in the terminal setting. However, the study investigators aimed to integrate supportive care across the cancer continuum.

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Hospitalists in a bind when cancer prognosis hasn’t sunk in

04/16/25 at 02:00 AM

Hospitalists in a bind when cancer prognosis hasn’t sunk inMedscape; by Jake Remaly; 4/15/25 When a patient with cancer is admitted to the hospital, the reason might not be related to the malignancy. But the hospitalist in charge sometimes becomes aware of a major disconnect: The patient, who they just met, does not grasp the severity of their cancer prognosis. On the one hand, the hospital medicine team and patient have advance directives and goals of care to consider, which may steer the course of the hospitalization and any use of hospice. The cancer prognosis — the patient might only have months to live, for example — could be a key component of those conversations. On the other hand, explaining the cancer situation should fall to the oncologist, right? ...

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[Canada] Care utilization patterns among patients dying with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

04/12/25 at 03:00 AM

[Canada] Care utilization patterns among patients dying with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseCanadian Journal of Respiratory, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine; Aleisha Fernandes, Shuaib Hafid, Anastasia Gayowsky, Tetyana Kendzerska, Aaron Jones, Erin Gallagher, Colleen Webber, James Downar, Sophie Corriveau, Douglas G. Manuel, Sunita Mulpuru, David Da Silva-Krul, Amy Hsu, Peter Tanuseputro, Sarina R. Isenberg, Michelle Howard; 3/25Despite primary care providing majority of outpatient care, inpatient utilization is higher amongst patients who are notaccessing PC [palliative care]. These patients are also more likely to die in an acute setting. This study provides insight into the proportion of care patients are being provided from different specialties as well as the distribution of end-of-life outcomes amongst these patterns of care. Future research will benefit from exploring the association between these different patterns and end-of-life outcomes to identify the most optimal care pattern for improving end-of-life outcomes for patients with ACOPD [advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

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Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests

04/11/25 at 03:05 AM

Alzheimer’s risk rises when amount of deep sleep falls, study suggests CNN Health; by Sandee LaMotte; 4/8/25 Need another reason to prioritize your sleep? Not spending enough time in the two deep stages of sleep — slow-wave and rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep — may hasten the deterioration of parts of the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a new study found. Deficits in slow-wave and REM sleep appear to shrink parts of the brain known to be early indicators of cognitive deterioration and Alzheimer’s disease, said lead study author Gawon Cho, a postdoctoral associate in internal medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. [Continue reading ...] 

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Family Hospice partners with Alzheimer’s Association to expand educational outreach

04/10/25 at 03:10 AM

Family Hospice partners with Alzheimer’s Association to expand educational outreach EIN Presswire.com, Atlanta, GA; by Brittany Brown; 4/8/25 Family Hospice announces an official partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, to enhance educational outreach and raise awareness of available resources for individuals facing Alzheimer’s or other dementia.This collaboration will provide families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals with critical information on hospice and Alzheimer’s and dementia-related support. As part of this effort, Family Hospice and the Alzheimer's Association are planning an upcoming statewide initiative in Georgia aimed at expanding awareness and support. Both organizations will share educational materials at community events and through social media to ensure families and caregivers have access to the guidance they need. [Continue reading ...]

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Practical tools and heartfelt hope: How Nancy Y Treaster is empowering dementia caregivers worldwide

04/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Practical tools and heartfelt hope: How Nancy Y Treaster is empowering dementia caregivers worldwide Thrive Global; by Stacey Chillemi; 4/2/25 In this empowering interview, dementia care expert Nancy Y Treaster shares practical strategies, emotional insights, and vital resources to help family caregivers navigate the challenges of caregiving with confidence and compassion. ...

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Perioperative integration of palliative care and urology for patients with serious urologic illness: A qualitative need finding inquiry

04/05/25 at 03:20 AM

Perioperative integration of palliative care and urology for patients with serious urologic illness: A qualitative need finding inquiryJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; Bhagvat J Maheta, Nainwant K Singh, Jonathan Bergman, Cati G Brown-Johnson, Alekhya Gunturi, Nickolas Interrante, John T Leppert, Karl A Lorenz, Isabella G Raspi, Karleen F Giannitrapani; 3/25Many urologic serious illnesses are treated with surgical procedures, which may put patients at a further risk of diminished quality of life. [We] purposefully sampled urologists, palliative care physicians, and clinical team members at fourteen geographically distributed Veteran Health Administration sites. We identified one general overall theme, to "change culture" so that PC [palliative care] is not a "last resort" ... Utilizing telehealth and team member role expansion when discussing the initial diagnosis, with surgery as a potential treatment option, allows for multiple conversations ... Creating a process to ensure goal of care conversations occur, since "urologic procedures can have complications that significantly impact quality of life" ... [and] during the pre-operative visits, interdisciplinary input and evaluation of the patient prior to surgery allows the patient to "have a sort of joint meeting with us and the urologist."

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Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about dysphagia and adult swallowing interventions in serious illness

04/05/25 at 03:05 AM

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about dysphagia and adult swallowing interventions in serious illnessJournal of Palliative Medicine; Sanora Yonan, Taylor Wilde, Alexa Rogers, Kelly J Trumpatori, Kristie Calix, Christina Barnes, Terri Durkin, Eric Mecusker, Christopher A Jones, Caitlyn M Moore, Laura Chahda, Amanda Stead, Lisa A LaGorio, Paula Leslie; 3/25This article highlights the important role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in palliative care (PC), emphasizing their contribution to supporting people with eating, drinking, and swallowing difficulties during serious illnesses and at the end of life. The recommendations underscore the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration among SLPs and other PC team members, the importance of patient and caregiver education, and the application of patient-centered, comfort-focused approaches to dysphagia intervention. Drawing on current research and expert insights, this article explores the use of SLP services in PC, as well as the challenges in supporting people with eating and drinking difficulties in advanced stages of illness, embedded with practical tips for clinicians.

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[Germany] Do we have a knowledge gap with our patients?-On the problems of knowledge transfer and the implications at the end of life

04/05/25 at 03:05 AM

[Germany] Do we have a knowledge gap with our patients?-On the problems of knowledge transfer and the implications at the end of lifeInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Nils Heuser, Hendrik Heers, Martin Gschnell, Fabian Urhahn, Severin Schrade, Christian Volberg; 2/25Cancer patients are often unaware of their exact diagnosis, stage of disease, and prognosis. In the patients observed, it was found that many of them were unaware of their stage of disease, which can have a huge impact on their end-of-life decisions, such as the type of treatment they want. Many patients were also unaware of their own treatment. There is a risk that false hopes of cure may be attached to therapies and that, as a result, patients may be less likely to opt for palliative care with a focus on maintaining quality of life.

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[France] Supportive care needs of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: A systematic mixed study review

04/05/25 at 03:00 AM

[France] Supportive care needs of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors: A systematic mixed study reviewCancer Care Research Online; Baudry, Valentine MS; Bertrand, Amandine MD; Bottichio, Margaux MS; Escot, Noémie MS; Despax, Johanna PhD; Girodet, Magali PhD; Christophe, Véronique PhD; 4/25This literature review shows that CAYA [childhood, adolescent, and young adult] cancer survivors still have SCN [supportive care needs] long after the end of treatment, which is specific to the challenges they face at these developmental stages and may evolve over time. Survivors still report needs related to information, medical care, psychology, sexuality, fertility, and age-specific care. Social life, finance, work, and education needs were also present, but at a lower scale. Future research should clarify these links, to explore the evolution of needs over time, to distinguish specific CAYA subgroups, to examine time since diagnosis or completion of treatment, and to better specify the SCN of child survivors to present relevant results.

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Navigating the intersection of heart failure and palliative care: A holistic approach to improving quality of life

04/04/25 at 03:00 AM

Navigating the intersection of heart failure and palliative care: A holistic approach to improving quality of life Cureus; by Awanwosa V. Agho, Fatimot Disu, Efeturi M. Okorigba, Okelue E. Okobi, Safiyya Muhammad, Toheeb Bakare, Chioma Ezuma-Ebong, Nneka Muoghalu; 3/30/25 ... Historically, palliative care has often been perceived as a last-resort option, introduced only when curative treatments have failed, creating a false dichotomy between life-prolonging therapies and symptom management. However, modern palliative care frameworks emphasize its integration throughout the disease trajectory, particularly for chronic, progressive illnesses like heart failure. ... Palliative care should ideally be initiated at diagnosis of advanced heart failure or with early signs of significant symptom burden to ensure timely, patient-centered support, as recommended by ACC, AHA, and HFSA guidelines

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Shingles vaccine tied to lower dementia risk, study finds

04/04/25 at 02:00 AM

Shingles vaccine tied to lower dementia risk, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 4/2/25 Older adults who were vaccinated against shingles were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared with people who didn’t receive the shot, a study shows. The report was published Wednesday in Nature. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: Related articles ...

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The most personal column I’ve ever written

04/03/25 at 03:00 AM

The most personal column I’ve ever written The Times, United Kingdom; by Professor Tanya Byron; 3/31/25 ... This column will be more personal than any other I have written in my now 20 years writing for The Times. I write it four days after my sister Katrina and I lost our beloved mum, Elfie, who ... had advanced end-stage dementia. Where do we start when trying to describe the many moments of heartbreak and the challenges that come with the long goodbye we have faced with our parents? Dementia is unpredictable. We say goodbye more than once and so the pain of bereavement does not begin at the time of death. Instead it is a prolonged pain marked by gradual losses. Watching a loved one slowly fade away over months or years brings grief, exhaustion and deep emotional turmoil. Amid all this is the experience of being on a rollercoaster of loss and hope, an experience that creates huge lurches between perceptions and emotions. There are moments of clarity and regression, ... [Continue reading ...]

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Multidisciplinary clinician perceptions on utility of a machine learning tool (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality and improve end-of-life outcomes for advanced cancer patients

03/29/25 at 03:30 AM

Multidisciplinary clinician perceptions on utility of a machine learning tool (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality and improve end-of-life outcomes for advanced cancer patientsCancer Medicine; Nithya Krishnamurthy, Melanie Besculides, Ksenia Gorbenko, Melissa Mazor, Marsha Augustin, Jose Morillo, Marcos Vargas, Cardinale B. Smith; 3/25There are significant disparities in outcomes at the end-of-life (EOL) for minoritized patients with advanced cancer, with most dying without a documented serious illness conversation (SIC). This study aims to assess clinician perceptions of the utility and challenges of implementing a machine learning [ML] model (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality among patients with advanced solid cancers to prompt timely SIC. Our study found that clinicians expressed widespread acceptability of ALERT and identified clear benefits, particularly in triggering earlier SIC and standardizing prognosis discussions across care teams. [Additionally,] a recent study found that ML prognostic models decreased use of aggressive chemotherapy at EOL and increased SIC frequency fourfold.

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Children as living solid organ donors: Ethical discussion and model hospital policy statement

03/29/25 at 03:15 AM

Children as living solid organ donors: Ethical discussion and model hospital policy statementThe Journal of Clinical Ethics; Gyan C. Moorthy, Aidan P. Crowley, and Sandra Amaral' Spring 2025In recent years, more attention has been paid to living donation as a means to reduce the suffering of individuals with end-stage kidney or liver disease. Implicated ethical issues include medical risk and risk of coercion, counterbalanced by improved medical outcomes and the benefits of saving a life. Living donation becomes particularly ethically complicated with the prospect of child donation, given the child’s developing autonomy and uniquely dependent status. We outline four broad ethical considerations pertinent to living child organ donation: (1) beneficence, (2) respect for the family as a moral unit, (3) respect for the child as a person, and (4) justice. We conclude that it can be ethical for a healthy child to donate a kidney or liver lobe to a close relative who has exhausted other options provided that certain protections are put into place.

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Racial disparities in ALS progression: Time to clinical events observed in a single center

03/29/25 at 03:10 AM

Racial disparities in ALS progression: Time to clinical events observed in a single center Wiley Online Library; by Shanshan Chen, Demetrius Carter, Jillian Prier, JoBeth Bingham, Shital Patel, Manisha Kotay, Paula Burke Brockenbrough, Kelly Gwathmey; 3/10/25 Studies examining racial differences in ALS have previously focused on diagnostic delay and disease severity. Time to critical clinical events has rarely been investigated, despite its importance in revealing differences in ALS patients' disease courses. This study explores racial disparities in time to specific clinical events in Black and non-Hispanic White ALS patients at a single center. ... Our single-center findings demonstrate a large racial difference in time to clinical events for Black versus White ALS patients referred for NIV, AAC, hospice, and wheelchair, suggesting more advanced disease at the time of presentation or more rapid progression.

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Quality of life in heart failure. The heart of the matter. A scientific statement of the Heart Failure Association and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology

03/29/25 at 03:00 AM

Quality of life in heart failure. The heart of the matter. A scientific statement of the Heart Failure Association and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of CardiologyEuropean Journal of Heart Failure; Maurizio Volterrani, Geza Halasz, Stamatis Adamopoulos, Pier Giuseppe Agostoni, Javed Butler, Andrew J.S. Coats, Alan Cohen-Solal, Wolfram Doehner, Gerasimos Filippatos, Ewa Jankowska, Carolyn S.P. Lam, Ekaterini Lambrinou, Lars H. Lund, Giuseppe Rosano, Marco Metra, Stefania Paolillo, Pasquale Perrone Filardi, Amina Rakisheva, Gianluigi Savarese, Petar Seferovic, Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti, Massimo Piepoli; 3/25 Patients with heart failure (HF) experience much worse QoL [quality of life] and effort intolerance than both the general population and people with other chronic conditions, since they present a range of physical and psychological symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest discomfort, fatigue, fluid congestion, trouble with sleeping, and depression. The importance of QoL for patients with HF is highlighted in a survey showing that 61% attached more weight to QoL over longevity, with 9% and 14% willing to trade 6 and 12 months, respectively, for perfect health and better QoL.It is for these reasons that the Heart Failure Association is developing a new score for QoL in HF, sensitive to mechanism-specific interventions and tailored to be sensitive to changes within individual patients. 

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Hidden battles: Keeping cancer secret

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Hidden battles: Keeping cancer secret Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Medical School; by Maureen Salamon; post is dated 4/1/25, retrieved from the internet 3/25/25 Some people choose to conceal their diagnosis and treatment. Here's why — and reasons that approach can sometimes backfire. ... [In addition to privacy motives, Cristina Pozo-Kaderman, a senior psychologist at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute] says cancer patients may also wish to:

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Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure Yale School of Medicine; by Rachel Martin; 3/25/25 ... Michael Beasley, MD, [Yale] assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Nora Segar, MD, [Yale] assistant clinical professor (general internal medicine) and director of palliative medicine at the Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital, recently established a new outpatient clinic to provide dedicated palliative care for people with end-stage heart failure. ... “For many patients with advanced heart failure, hospice care does not meet their needs until very late in their course,” said Segar, an early champion of the clinic. “Instead, by providing early palliative care outside of the hospital, when it’s not a time of crisis, we can help patients accept and cope with their prognosis, manage their symptoms, and continue making plans for the future.” New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For all palliative and hospice leaders, we highlight this last statement: "New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them."

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