A study published last summer in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who received palliative care early after diagnosis had a better quality of life and lived longer than those who received standard care. These patients also received less aggressive care. This research has received much publicity in the American newspapers in the past month. Link for the journal article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1000678

This may help to clarify the goals of palliative care for people who are concerned that palliative care shortens life.

Kath