Palliative Care Referrals Often Late for Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer
A study published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment examined the timing, location, and reasons for specialty palliative care referral for women living with metastatic breast cancer. Researchers found that more than half of the women in the study did not receive palliative care, and most encounters were inpatient and occurred late in the disease trajectory rather than upon diagnosis. The findings underscore the infrequency and often-late referral to palliative care for women with metastatic breast cancer, and the need to better identify and triage palliative needs and make more timely referrals.