Palliative care integration for patients on phase I cancer clinical trials

Abstract

Early integration of palliative care (PC) is recommended as standard of care for patients with advanced cancer. However, challenges remain for both medical oncologists and PC specialists in knowing how to best integrate PC within the dynamic landscape of cancer therapeutics and drug development. Over the last several years in oncology, the success of immunotherapy and molecularly targeted agents has led to a greater demand for novel agents and expansion of objectives of early phase clinical trials. This has in turn created more nuance when discussing prognosis and supporting patients with advanced disease and their caregivers. This review article presents the current literature to support the integration of PC within investigational oncology, as a mechanism to address the evolving needs of patients and caregivers, during and beyond participation on phase I cancer clinical trials.