Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40237862›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025

Palliative and supportive care in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a qualitative study on attitudes and perceptions of health professionals.

Cameron Gofton, Anna Di Bartolomeo, Shalini Wijekulasuriya, Shenghan Cai, Rose Boutros, Fiona Stafford-Bell, Kim Caldwell, Geoffrey McCaughan, Amany Zekry, Simone I Strasser and 13 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Cameron GoftonStorr Liver Centre, Westmead Hospital, WSLHD, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. cameron.gofton@health.nsw.gov.au.
Anna Di BartolomeoStorr Liver Centre, Westmead Hospital, WSLHD, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Shalini WijekulasuriyaCentre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Shenghan CaiCentre for Healthcare Resilience and Implementation Science, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Rose BoutrosStorr Liver Centre, Westmead Hospital, WSLHD, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Fiona Stafford-BellDepartment of Palliative Care, Liverpool Hospital, SWSLHD, Liverpool, Australia.
Kim CaldwellDepartment of Palliative Care, St George Hospital, SESLHD, Sydney, Australia.
Geoffrey McCaughanA W Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,, SLHD and University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
Amany ZekryDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, St George Hospital, SESLHD, Sydney, Australia.
Simone I StrasserA W Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,, SLHD and University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
Miriam LevyDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Liverpool Hospital, SWSLHD, Liverpool, Australia.
Caitlin SheehanDepartment of Palliative Care, St George Hospital, SESLHD, Sydney, Australia.
Stephen GoodallUniversity of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
Jan Maree DavisPalliative Care Service, SESLHD Southern Sector, Kogarah, Australia.
Linda SheahanDepartment of Palliative Care, St George Hospital, SESLHD, Sydney, Australia.
Ken LiuA W Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital,, SLHD and University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia.
Sally GreenawayDepartment of Palliative Care, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, Australia.
Scott DavisonDepartment of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Liverpool Hospital, SWSLHD, Liverpool, Australia.
Thang Du HuynhDepartment of Palliative Care, Liverpool Hospital, SWSLHD, Liverpool, Australia.
Zujaj QuadriDepartment of Palliative Care, Liverpool Hospital, SWSLHD, Liverpool, Australia.
Yvonne A ZurynskiAustralian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Meera AgarUniversity of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, Australia.
Jacob GeorgeStorr Liver Centre, Westmead Hospital, WSLHD, Westmead Institute for Medical Research and University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Jacob.George@sydney.edu.au.

Funding

Cancer Institute NSW 2021/ATRG2028
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIntegration of palliative and supportive care in cancer treatment pathways is becoming standardised. While there has been significant qualitative research in oncology on palliative and supportive care integration into clinical care, there is little evidence that focusses on clinicians who manage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their perceptions on palliative and supportive care.

aimTo investigate the attitudes and perceptions regarding palliative and supportive care of healthcare professionals managing patients with HCC.

designQualitative study involving semi-structured individual interviews transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. SETTING/

participantsA total of 25 healthcare professionals including hepatologists, gastroenterology trainees, hepatology clinical nurse consultants, social workers, and palliative care specialists providing care to patients with HCC recruited at 4 tertiary hospitals via purposive sampling.

resultsThe following themes emerged: (1) availability of palliative care services, (2) need for clear referral pathways and processes, (3) patients' limited understanding of palliative care, (4) recognition of benefits of palliative care, and (5) the lack of training in hepatology services for palliative care provision.

conclusionHealth professionals' perceptions of integration of palliative and supportive care in liver cancer care are hampered by multiple barriers. Opportunities to establish a more cohesive approach to care integration for patients with liver cancer have been identified. 

trial registrationACTRN12623000010695 (date of registration 9/01/2023).   What is already known about the topic? • Integration of palliative and supportive care for cancer can have profound benefits for patients' symptom burden and quality of life. • There is a lack of empirical studies examining the perspectives of health professionals who manage liver cancer on the integration of palliative and supportive care into the treatment pathways for patients. What this paper adds • This study identifies a number of barriers to the implementation of palliative and supportive care into liver cancer treatment algorithms. • The absence of sufficient evidence in clinical guidelines impairs the capacity of health professionals to improve the integration of palliative and supportive care for liver cancer patients. Implications for practice, theory, or policy. • As liver cancer prevalence increases, further effort is required to develop appropriate evidence-based clinical guidelines and referral pathways to support the integration of palliative and supportive care within existing liver cancer services.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelCarcinoma, HepatocellularHealth PersonnelLiver NeoplasmsPalliative CareAdultFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchReferral and ConsultationHealth professionalsHepatocellular carcinomaLiver cancerPalliative and supportive carePalliative careQualitative

Identifiers

PMID40237862
PMCPMC12003453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.