Randomized Controlled Trial of Early Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Cancer

Patients with advanced cancer often have numerous physical and psychological symptoms, which can negatively affect their quality of life. A palliative care team of different health care professionals (including doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists) specializes in treating these symptoms and offers support for patients and their families. However, palliative care teams are currently involved only in the last two months of a patient's life or not at all. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether, compared to conventional cancer care, early involvement by a specialized symptom control and palliative care team in patients with advanced cancer will be associated with: better quality of life, greater patient and caregiver satisfaction with care, better symptom control, improved communication with healthcare providers and improved caregiver quality of life.