Palliative care may improve quality of life in esophageal cancer

Palliative care may improve quality of life in esophageal cancer 
Cure; by Tim Cortese; 1/27/25 
Palliative care consultations helped patients with esophageal cancer at end-of-life experience better quality of life and less financial strain by reducing the need for intensive interventions, according to a poster presented at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium. The mean length of hospital stay was 7.5 days (plus or minus 11.3 days) for patients who received palliative care and 8.9 days (plus or minus 14.9) for those who didn’t; and total charges were $97,879 (plus or minus $195,868) and $146,128 (plus or minus $321,830), respectively. ... Of patients to receive and not to receive a palliative care consultation, 0.9% and 1.6%, respectively, underwent chemotherapy; 12.3% and 18% underwent blood transfusion; and 28.5% and 41.0% underwent mechanical ventilation.