Palliative Care Needs in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients and Caregivers: Survey Insights

There is a critical need for palliative care among individuals with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), who constitute 13-15% of lung cancer diagnoses. Despite overall improvements in lung cancer survival rates, SCLC remains aggressive, emphasizing the importance of palliative care to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families. Researchers conducted an online survey through the Lung Cancer Registry from June 2023 to May 2024 to assess palliative care awareness and access among SCLC patients and their caregivers.

The survey included treatment decision-making and palliative care questions, targeting current registry participants and additional online recruits. A total of 20 participants completed the survey, primarily older adults (mean age 62), predominantly White (85%), and mostly female (55%). Notably, 75% of respondents had heard of palliative care, but only 45% had been offered information about it. About half expressed a desire for palliative care, with medication management for pain and physical symptoms being the most cited need (26.9%). For those not receiving palliative care, key barriers included lack of offers (26.7%) and a desire for more information (20%).

Emotional support was identified as a primary need (27.3%), followed by information on coping with lung cancer (24.2%). The findings indicate a significant gap in both access and education related to palliative care for SCLC patients and their caregivers. This study underscores the urgency for health care teams to enhance outreach and educational efforts, and it calls for further research with larger sample sizes to better understand the needs of the SCLC community.

Reference

Law H. Palliative care knowledge and access among people with small cell lung cancer and their family caregivers: Preliminary findings. Presented at: the 2024 ASCO Quality Care Symposium; September 27-28, 2023; Boston, MA, and virtual; Abstract 197.