LUGANO, Switzerland, December 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

ESMO, the leading professional organisation for medical oncology, published a position paper on supportive and palliative care, calling attention to the evolving and growing gap between the needs of cancer patients and the actual provision of patient-centred care.

"New studies show that there may be a gap between what doctors think is important for patients, and what patients really need. With this position paper, we wanted to call attention to the fact that, as well as anti-tumour treatment, cancer patients need physical, psychological, social, spiritual support, at every stage of the disease, from diagnosis," said main author Karin Jordan, ESMO Faculty Coordinator.

Matti Aapro, co-author, MASCC Past-president, said: "Recent studies show that palliative and supportive care not only improves treatment: it contributes to better use of existing resources, avoids waste and may also reduce the cost of treatment."

Patient reported outcomes should be highly encouraged as shown to be associated with better quality of life, fewer hospitalisations and even increased survival, compared with usual care.

"We hope that this paper will contribute to develop a generalised culture and acceptance of supportive and palliative care, worldwide," said Aapro. "Basic patient needs such as pain relief are still not being widely met. Education is vital to make sure that essential supportive care is accessible to all cancer patients, everywhere."

ESMO position paper content:

• Key patient-centred care interventions and training
• End-of-life care
• Role of multidisciplinary teams
• Integrating healthcare resources
• Research and resources in supportive and palliative care

Full story: http://bit.ly/2AiD5qG

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 17,000 members representing oncology professionals from 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information.

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SOURCE European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)