Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with…

Cohort studySupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer· Jul 2026

Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with cancer.

Jung Sun Kim, Wan Taek Lee, Bhumsuk Keam … Shin Hye Yoo

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OncologyCohort studyClinical practiceQ1IF 3.3

Early palliative care referral linked to higher completion of advance care statements

Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with cancer.

Jung Sun Kim … Shin Hye Yoo

Supportive care in cancer · Jul 2026

Background

While growing evidence supports the benefits of early palliative care (palliative care) referral for patients with cancer, the optimal timing of referral remains unclear.

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life (EOL) outcomes in patients with cancer.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included patients with cancer who were referred for palliative care consultation at a tertiary hospital in the Republic of Korea between January 2018 and December 2022 and had died by June 2023.

n = 6,151 patients

Results

early referral roughly doubled the odds of completing advance care statements

AOR 1.30 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.51)

null 1

1.12

1.51

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Among 6,151 patients, 43.3% received late referrals, and 23.8% received early referrals.

“

Conclusion

Early palliative care consultation offers an important opportunity to enhance advance care planning, promote hospice use, and reduce unnecessary healthcare utilization at EOL, supporting earlier integration of palliative care into routine oncology practice.

Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with cancer.

Association between the timing of palliative care consultation and end-of-life outcomes in patients with cancer.

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