Literature Review

[Spain] Mapping palliative care for people living with advanced cancer in phase 1 clinical trials: A scoping reviewPalliative Medicine; by Diego Candelmi, Alazne Belar, Carla Zapata Del Mar, Ana Landa-Magdalena, Anna Vilalta-Lacarra, Mariano Ponz-Sarvisé, Carlos Centeno; 9/25This review highlights the unique needs of patients and caregivers in Phase 1 Cancer Clinical Trials and the complexities of integrating palliative care. Key results revealed patients' limited life expectancy, high symptom burden, distress and unmet spiritual needs [and]... patients were reluctant to seek prognostic information or engage in end-of-life discussions, complicating advance care planning. End-of-life care involved frequent unscheduled hospital admissions, hospital deaths and late hospice-care referrals. Caregivers experienced significant distress, while healthcare professionals faced barriers to integrating palliative care. Palliative care interventions varied widely in approaches, settings and outcomes.Assistant Editor's note: This article discusses how palliative care could benefit patients that are enrolled in phase 1 clinical trials for cancer. Traditionally, it has not been common practice for palliative care programs to serve these kinds of patients and their loved ones. This represents an opportunity for the expansion of much needed palliative care services.  

Rise in late-stage lung cancer in nonsmokers highlights need for awareness and screening Medscape Medical News; by Evra Taylor; 9/5/25 ... The common thinking is that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease, but that isn’t the full picture, Jessica Moffatt, PhD, vice president of programs and health system partnerships at Lung Health Foundation in Toronto, told Medscape Medical News. ... Moffatt and her colleagues are working to dispel the stigma that smokers “get what they deserve.” Rosalyn Juergens, MD, professor of oncology at McMaster University in Guelph, Ontario, and president of Lung Cancer Canada, said, “If you find out someone has lung cancer, your first question shouldn’t be ‘Did you smoke?’ It should be ‘What can I do to help you along this journey?’ ” 

Assessing the perspectives of genetic counselors with oncology patients at the end of lifeJournal of Genetic Counseling; Rosalyn D. Brown, Lori Williamson, Natalie Brooke Peeples, Jing Jin, Alexandrea Wadley; 8/25Cancer genetic services identify individuals that may have a hereditary component to cancer, as it is estimated that up to 10% of cancers are due to a cancer-predisposition gene variant. When an oncology patient has reached the end of life (EOL), genetic counseling and testing may benefit the patient and their family by clarifying hereditary cancer risks. Despite high comfort and preparedness, 77% of respondents desired additional educational training opportunities about providing genetic counseling to oncology patients at the EOL, supporting the need for ongoing education opportunities. The high comfort levels and preparedness reported in this study suggest that genetic counselors are ready and willing to counsel patients facing a terminal diagnosis of cancer and should be further integrated into multidisciplinary teams.

[India] Cancer cachexia: A meta-analysis of prevalence, outcomes, and interventionsSaudi Journal of Medicine; by Dr Sharique Ahmad, Dr Saeeda Wasim; 8/25Cancer cachexia, also known as cancer wasting, is a debilitating metabolic syndrome characterized by progressive weight loss, skeletal muscle atrophy, and systemic inflammation that cannot be fully reversed with standard nutritional support. It represents a distinct clinical entity, separate from malnutrition, due to its unique pathophysiology involving tumor-hostinteractions, cytokine-driven catabolism, and alterations in energy metabolism. This meta-analysis demonstrates that cancercachexia is highly prevalent, particularly in pancreatic and lung cancers, and strongly predicts poor survival and reduced treatment tolerance. Its high prevalence and significant impact highlight the urgent need for early recognition and systematic management in oncology practice.

Cancer patients are living longer than ever. Pain drugmakers haven’t kept up. Biopharma Dive; by Jacob Bell; 9/25/25 Decades of slow-moving research, along with broader failures of the healthcare system, have left millions of people in daily pain. Doctors fear that’s bound to continue. ... More than 2 million people in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with cancer each year. Conservative estimates hold that between 20% and 50% experience related pain, though that figure can climb as high as 80% for patients with advanced disease. Despite the large number of patients and the need for more therapies, drugmakers have mostly shied away from pain altogether, fearing that its complicated biology makes for too risky a research investment.  ... Opioids remain the core of many treatment regimens. This lack of drug choices is aggravated by much broader failures of the healthcare system. 

The role of the palliative medicine and supportive oncology APP Oncology Nursing News; by Antonia Corrigan, MSN, ANP-C; 9/22/25 ... A cancer diagnosis can bring an avalanche of psychosocial and physical obstacles for patients to navigate. ... Advanced practice providers (APPs) are key in providing quality supportive care. ... The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines recommend that patients with cancer be referred to interdisciplinary palliative care teams within 8 weeks of diagnosis. Early palliative referral benefits patients with high symptom burden, both physical and psychosocial, and enhances caregiver support. 

Heart disease tops US mortality in 2024, CDC reports McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Foster Stubbs; 9/12/25 The leading causes of death in the United States in 2024 were heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a September report. ... In total, there were 3,072,039 total deaths that occurred in the US in 2024 with a death rate of 722.0 per 100,000 people. This was 3.8% lower than the totals in 2023. Death rates also decreased for all race and ethnicity groups but rates for Black people remain higher than those for all other groups. Overall, death rates were highest for males, older adults and Black people, demonstrating a need for further examination of the health of these demographic groups. Heart disease caused 683,037 deaths, cancer caused 619,812 deaths and unintentional injury resulted in 196,488 deaths. Mortality statistics were collected by The National Center for Health Statistics’ (NCHS) National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) using US death certificate data. [The CDC Report is at Vital Statistics Rapid Release, Number 039, September 2025.]

A workflow initiative to increase the early palliative care referral rate in patients with advanced cancer MDedge - Federal Practitioner - Quality Improvement; by Judy Lim, MD and Linda D. Nguyen, DNP, NP-C, MD; 9/3/25 ... The American Society of Clinical Oncology and the World Health Organization recommend that every patient with advanced cancer should be treated by a multidisciplinary palliative care team early in the course of the disease and in conjunction with anticancer treatment. Despite the documented benefits and the recommendations, early PC is still not often offered in clinical practice. 

The keys to building solid disease-specific hospice programs Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 9/8/25 Understanding the most prevalent medical conditions among aging patient populations is a significant part of developing disease-specific programs that better address physical, emotional and practical needs. ... Community needs assessments play a large role in steering the direction of a disease-specific program, said Evan Dressel, director of strategy, program development and innovation at Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.  ... Navigating service needs, strategic execution and establishing successful care collaborations are crucial components to consider when building a disease-specific program, according to Kelly Gadison, vice president of clinical practice, strategy and programs at Amedisys. ... 

Palliative care use and end-of-life care quality in HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancerBreast Cancer Research and Treatment; by Julia G Cohn, Susan C Locke, Kris W Herring, Susan F Dent, Thomas W LeBlanc; 8/25Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is incurable, despite therapeutic advances, especially in hormone receptor positive (HR+) and human epidermal growth factor-2 negative (HER2-) disease. Of 102 patients, 85 died during the study period, and over half (55%) received aggressive EoL [end of life] care. Half had some form of SPC [specialist palliative care], and rates of aggressive EoL care were comparable between those who engaged with SPC and those who did not. The most common indicators of aggressive EoL care included multiple ED visits (28%) and hospital admissions (23%) in the last 30 days of life as well as in-hospital location of death (24%). Although 72% enrolled in hospice care, 9% of patients were on hospice for ≤ 3 days. This real-world study demonstrates that many patients with HR + /HER2- MBC [metastatic breast cancer] receive aggressive EoL care despite some engaging with SPC and many enrolling in hospice. 

Palliative care and liver disease: Understanding hepatitis and beyond Ashland LocalTownPages, Aubrey, TX; by Press Services; 9/1/25 Sovereign Hospice, a woman-led hospice care provider serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, offers specialized liver disease support programs. The organization also provides targeted hospice home care services and palliative care programs designed specifically for patients facing hepatitis and other advanced liver conditions throughout North Texas.

[Iceland] Medication causes and treatment of delirium in patients with and without dementiaBrain and Behavior; by Anita Elaine Weidmann, Rut Matthíasdóttir, Guðný Björk Proppé, Ivana Tadić, Pétur Sigurdur Gunnarsson, Freyja Jónsdóttir; 7/25This summary offers the most detailed summary of medication-related information for delirium in patients with and without dementia to support prescribing decisions. While the detailed results can be used to support a multicomponent approach to delirium care, they also support the call for categorizing delirium into distinct etiological subgroups. The effect of medication on gut microbiome diversity and composition should be considered.