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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.