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Quality Matters: Effect of High-Quality Early Palliative Care in Advanced Cancer
EunKyo Kang1, Su-Jin Koh2, Jung Hun Kang3
1National Cancer Control Institute (E.K.), National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea; Department of Family Medicine (E.K.), National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea.
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
|September 4, 2025
Summary
High-quality early palliative care (EPC) significantly reduces depression and improves survival in advanced cancer patients. This highlights the critical importance of quality EPC for better patient outcomes and self-management.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Palliative Care
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Early palliative care (EPC) is crucial for advanced cancer patients, yet the impact of its quality on outcomes remains unclear.
- Understanding the quality of EPC is essential for optimizing patient care and improving quality of life (QoL).
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the quality of early palliative care (EPC) in advanced cancer patients.
- To analyze the longitudinal association between EPC quality and depression, QoL, survival, and self-management strategies.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of 144 advanced cancer patients from a South Korean randomized controlled trial.
- Stratification into high-quality (N=76) and low-quality (N=68) EPC groups based on the Quality Care Questionnaire-Palliative Care.
- Assessment of QoL, depression, and self-management at multiple time points, with 2-year survival analysis.
Main Results:
- High-quality EPC was associated with significantly lower depression rates (14.7% vs. 39.1%) and higher 2-year survival (p=0.006).
- Improvements in existential/social burden (MQOL) and self-management (SAT-SF) were noted in the high-quality EPC group.
- Overall QoL (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) showed minimal differences between groups.
Conclusions:
- The quality of early palliative care services significantly influences depression levels, patient survival, QoL aspects, and self-management abilities.
- These findings underscore the necessity of prioritizing high-quality EPC provision for advanced cancer patients.
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