Driving innovation in cancer symptom science through translational research: bridging science and practice

Translational research is a dynamic process that aims to apply fundamental scientific discoveries into clinical practice through strong cooperation between scientists and healthcare providers. This review discusses recent advances in symptom science within palliative care, driven by translational research, and highlights the pressing need to bridge the gap between scientific innovation and clinical practice.

The dramatic change in the cancer landscape in the last decade has been achieved through translational research. However, the role of translational research in symptom science in palliative care for patients with cancer has been chronically neglected. Recently, initial progress has been made in symptom prediction through biomarker discovery for distressing syndromes, such as delirium or cancer-related cachexia. Other areas where translational approaches offer promise include predicting survival and identifying the dying phase in patients with advanced cancer.

Despite some progress in introducing translational research into palliative care, significant challenges persist, limiting the full potential of integrative and collaborative research to improve patient outcomes in cancer palliative care. Herein, key areas are discussed, including emerging themes and tools that could help bridge this gap.