Trial Summary:

Early referral to palliative care in advanced lung cancer has been shown to improve HRQL, OS and use of health care resources in a phase 3, randomised clinical trial of patients with newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC in the US. These benefits have not been corroborated in randomised trials in Canada and Australia in mixed cancer populations. The rationale for this trial is to determine if early referral to palliative care improves outcomes for patients with advanced thoracic malignancies in the Australian health care setting.
Participants will be allocated to one of the two study arms in a ratio of 1:1 (early referral to palliative care within 60 days of cancer diagnosis plus palliative care intervention plus standard oncological care OR discretionary referral to palliative care plus standard oncological care) by a central randomisation system that stratifies for:
1. Cancer type
2. Gender
3. Age
4. Planned / current use of chemotherapy
5. Australia-modified Karnofsky performance status
6. Study site.

Supported By:

Cancer Australia, Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC)

Eligibility:

The target population is adults with advanced NSCLC, SCLC or MPM that has been newly diagnosed within the last 60 days.

Registratio ID:

Participation:

Australia

Australian Lead Group:

ALTG

Status:

Closed

Activation Date:

07/10/2016

Chairs:

Linda Mileshkin (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre)

Contact:

pearl.study@sydney.edu.au