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    The Early Intervention Palliative Care Study was a collaboration between the MGH Thoracic Oncology Clinic and MGH Division of Palliative Care, which explored the outcomes of patients who followed a standard oncologic plan of care, versus patients who received early palliative care integrated into their oncologic care plan. Patient reported quality of life and functional well-being were measured by randomized questionnaires, which were then re-administered after 12 weeks. At the conclusion of the study, patients receiving the early palliative care intervention were found to report higher levels of quality-of-life, fewer symptoms of depression and a longer median length of survival versus patients receiving only the standard oncologic plan of care.

    The full article, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is available for viewing for free using the link below:

    http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMOa1000678#t=article 

    Research Study Staff

    Jennifer S. Temel, MD
    Vicki A. Jackson, MD, MPH
    Joseph Greer, PhD
    Alona Muzikansky, MA
    Emily Gallagher, RN
    Sonal Admane, MB, BS, MPH
    Constance Dahlin, APN
    Craig Blindermann, MD
    Juliet Jacobsen, MD
    William F. Pirl, MD, MPH
    J. Andrew Billings, MD
    Thomas J. Lynch, MD

    Videos

    Watch Drs. Jennifer Temel and Vicki Jackson discuss the study and their findings.

    When Proto magazine launched in 2005, the idea of palliative care—building more comfort into the care of those with serious illnesses—was just gaining ground. Since then, palliative care has become a board-certified specialty, and many hospitals now have developed robust programs.

    Lead authors Jennifer Temel, MD, and Victoria Jackson, MD, MPH discuss palliative care and the impressive study findings which showed patients experienced a better quality of life and actually lived longer than patients not receiving the same level of care at an early stage.

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