ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2026
Integrated palliative care with early clinical trial: what oncologists say and what patients understand.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePalliative care (PC) is active continuous care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. It can be implemented early in association with life-prolonging treatments to preserve the patient's quality of life. However, both patients and oncologists are reluctant to discuss PC as the term is strongly connotated with poor prognoses and death. This study aimed to observe how oncologists introduce the concept of early PC referral integrated with a Phase I trial and what patients understand about it.
methodsConsultations during which oncologists introduced referral to early PC to patients at the time of enrollment in a Phase I study were recorded. One-on-one interviews with the same patients were conducted and recorded. A thematic content analysis was then performed using NVIVO® software.
resultsThe following themes emerged from the consultations with the oncologists: the contribution of early PC in terms of symptomatic and psychological support, its integration and entry into a Phase I trial at the same time, the anticipation of the benefits of PC support, and the perceived ambivalence between a Phase I trial and PC. Other themes emerged from the interviews conducted by the researchers after the consultations, including (mis)understanding the early PC referral integrated with a Phase I trial, information overload, the lack of knowledge about the role of PC, and the perceived ambivalence between a Phase I trial and PC. DISCUSSION-
conclusionAlthough oncologists tend to adapt their discourse to their patients, they often base it on evidence. However, patients have difficulty processing information about early PC. This study highlights the potential difficulties faced by oncologists and patients and suggests solutions, such as supporting patients in dealing with their emotions, analyzing practice, and training health professionals. The questions of "timing", "time", and "who" to refer patients to PC when setting up a Phase I trial remain paramount.
Indexed as
Identifiers
41586899What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.