Evaluating Palliative Care Outcomes in Cancer Patients

Patients completed surveys to evaluate symptoms including depression, anxiety, and functional status. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer and Problem List and Functional Activity Scale (FAS) [11 (link)–14 (link)] surveys were collected at each visit (every 3-to-4 weeks). Patients were also asked to complete the following surveys every 3 months for up to 1 year: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), Quality of Life of Cancer Patients (QLC-C30), Quality of Life-Lung Cancer 13 (QLQ-LC-13) [15 (link), 16 (link)], and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) [17 (link)]. For EORTC, the scores range from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating a healthy level of functioning and lower scores indicating a high level of symptomatology. The HADS is a 14-item scale with seven items each for anxiety and depression subscales. Scoring for each item ranges from 0 to 3. A subscale score ≥ 8 denotes anxiety or depression [18 (link)]. At baseline only, patients completed the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R) to assess opioid abuse risk [10 (link), 19 (link)]. Patient acceptability questions regarding patient opinions within the Onco-Pall model were completed once at the 3-month time point. This consisted of five questions to assess patient preferences regarding palliative care appointments, including timing, location, length of visit, and open-ended feedback. The caregivers were asked to complete the Supportive Care Needs Survey–Patients & Caregivers (SCNC-P&C) at baseline and then every 3 months for up to 1 year [20 (link), 21 (link)].