Palliative Care News & Features

Palliative care for cancer patients helps ease discomfort, anxiety, nausea, and emotional distress. WebMD shows how palliative care can improve quality of life during and after cancer treatment.

With a focus on quality of life and a holistic approach, palliative care helps patients and families through serious illnesses. Learn more at WebMD.

WebMD talks to experts about when and how to make advance directives (a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care).

Though doctors nearly universally agree that helping patients die without pain is a more important goal than doing everything possible to prolong their lives, many say it can be tough to talk to patients about palliative care, a new poll shows.

Most people with serious illness -- and half of their caregivers -- don't get palliative care. Only 7 states get an "A" rating; 25 get a "B," 12 get a "C," 4 get a "D," and two (Delaware and Mississippi) get an "F."

A study suggests that preparing an advance directive can help shape your overall experience at the end of life.

Talking about end-of-life care and having advance directives doesn't make death come any more quickly, according to a new study.

Listening to recorded music or working with a music therapist may reduce anxiety levels of cancer patients and have other positive effects as well, a new study shows.

The number of people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS, continues to rise. That’s mainly because of highly effective drugs that allow people infected with HIV to live longer, healthier lives, the CDC says.

People with do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders may be more than twice as likely to die soon after surgery, regardless of the urgency of the procedure or health status before surgery.

An overview of palliative care for the caregiver, including how to access palliative care, how to deal with the stresses of caregiving, and how to find help.

Bringing normalcy to families' lives is a goal of pediatric palliative care, also known as pediatric advanced care (PAC). Many families, however, resist palliative care because they think it's limited to end-of-life care.

Study found inability to distinguish odors predicted higher odds of dying over next 5 years

Patients and loved ones found greater comfort spending final days together in familiar place

Doctors can now prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill

Researchers find value for extremely ill patients and their caregivers, but add that it doesn't affect survival

Such programs improve quality of life for folks caring for terminal cancer patients, study finds

Almost a third of patients didn't get palliative care until final three days of life, often after ICU stay

Care preferences, prognosis, values, fears important to the ill and their family

A third die within a week of beginning palliative care, experts say

Findings suggest they understand limits of modern medicine better than the patients they treat do

Colorado Voters Approve Aid-in-Dying Measure

Costly treatments are not always in line with patient's prognosis, researcher contends

Doctors need to heed preferences of patients, prepare for end of life sooner, experts say

Relieving symptoms and stress helps families as well, study says