Is Virtual Early Palliative Care an Option for Advanced Cancer?

Guidelines recommend early integration of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer, given evidence for improved quality of life (QOL). However, most patients do not receive early palliative care due to limited access and resources. To assess whether early palliative delivered via video could be an option to overcome these barriers, researchers conducted a multicenter trial in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their caregivers. Between 2018 and 2023, 1250 patients within 12 weeks of diagnosis were randomly assigned to meet with a palliative care clinician every 4 weeks through the course of disease either via video or in the outpatient clinic.

Self-reported QOL at week 24, the primary outcome, was equivalent in the virtual and in-person groups. Topics discussed at palliative care visits were similar in the two groups. The groups did not differ in depression and anxiety symptoms or perceptions of the goal of treatment or curability of their cancer. However, caregivers attended more in-person visits than video visits.