Timing of Palliative Care Referral in Advanced Solid Tumours
Department of Medical Oncology and Palliative Care Unit, Cancer Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Corresponding Author: Roy N, Doctus Journal of Oncology.
Abstract
Early palliative care improves symptom control and quality of life in advanced cancer, but referral in practice is often late. We reviewed 342 patients with advanced solid tumours who died under the care of a tertiary oncology service. Median interval from palliative referral to death was 21 days, and 28% were referred within the final week. Late referral was associated with continuing systemic therapy in the last month and with more emergency admissions. Referral timing correlated with the treating unit rather than with tumour type or performance status, indicating that clinician practice pattern, not patient factors, determines access.
Keywords
Palliative Care; Referral Timing; Advanced Cancer; End of Life; Quality of Life; Service Delivery
How to Cite
Roy N, Kundu A and Ghosh K. “Timing of Palliative Care Referral in Advanced Solid Tumours”. Doctus Journal of Oncology 1.1 (2026): 35-50.
Copyright and Licence
© 2026 Roy N. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.