The Benefits of Early Palliative Care
- Palliative is not just fo end-of-life care
- Palliative care teams can help women with physical side effects as well as the emotional and financial impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
- Studies show that incorporating palliative care from the point of diagnosis can improve both quality-of-life and survival time
Studies have shown that, if a woman has been diagnosed with advanced cancer, palliative care can not only make a big difference in symptom management and quality of life, but can actually extend survival, too.
Read More “People who get palliative care actually live longer than people who don’t get palliative care when they have advanced cancer,” says Dr. Elizabeth Kvale, the director of the Supportive Care and Survivorship Program and medical director of the cancer treatment program at LIVESTRONG Cancer Institutes at UT Health Austin. “The survival advantage that people get with cancer is about three months if they get early palliative care.” How often a patient meets with her palliative care team will vary depending on her unique needs. Some women, for instance, might meet with a palliative care specialist every week to manage side effects, says Dr. Kvale. Others might meet every month or every couple of months, continuing even after her treatment has ended. Palliative care teams can help women to address not only their physical side effects, but also the emotional and financial impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
“The sooner patients with serious cancer get palliative care, the better,” says Dr. Kvale.
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