Oncology quality measurement programs should include measures in key domains of palliative care and supportive oncology. This article describes an approach to quality measurement in these areas including the key steps of defining the quality measurement goal; identifying stakeholders and audiences; defining the population and setting (including potential characteristics of interest, such as specific conditions or disparities); and choosing the domain, target, and steps in the process of care, such as assessment and treatment. Other key steps include choosing or adapting measures that have been evaluated in other settings or are in widespread use; identifying data sources or collection needs; and considering issues of scientific acceptability, such as evidence to support process-outcome relationships. Other quality measurement considerations include the challenges of measurement, particularly in important domains such as communication and spiritual care, variation in patient preferences, or inconsistent documentation. In addition, potential unintended consequences, such as measurement burden and overemphasis of checklist care, may reduce patient-centeredness and attention to important patient concerns not addressed by quality measures.

There are a number of challenges facing head and neck cancer patients who present with metastatic or locally recurrent head and neck cancer; such as, limited treatment options, overall poor prognosis, and high symptom burden secondary to tumor and treatment. Disease and symptom management can be difficult, and requires that the potential benefits versus the adverse effects of systemic therapy be weighed very carefully. Individual patient characteristics including performance status, weight loss, symptom burden, comorbidities, and social supports must be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, reliable data describing the impact of therapy on symptom burden and quality of life (QOL) is lacking. Recently completed randomized phase III treatment trials have demonstrated the feasibility of incorporating patient reported outcome measures to assess symptoms and QOL into clinical studies. Nonetheless, obstacles to accurate and thorough QOL reporting remain. Development of tools directed at symptom burden and functional impairment in the metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer population is needed. Such tools would enhance our ability to assess the impact of treatment, thus optimizing treatment decisions for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer.

Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in children and adolescents. Pediatric patients with cancer suffer greatly at the end of life. However, palliative care interventions can reduce suffering and significantly improve the care of these patients and their families. A large percentage of pediatric deaths occur outside of the hospital setting where pediatric palliative resources may not be readily available. Patients in the home setting may be cared for by community hospice programs, which are typically staffed for adult populations. Increasingly, nonpediatric providers are asked to provide palliative care for children and adolescents at the end of life, yet they receive little formal training in this area. This review focuses on the principles of best practice in the provision of palliative care for children and adolescents with cancer. Our intent is to aid clinical providers in delivering optimal care to this patient population. Topics unique to pediatric palliative care that are addressed include: providing pain and symptom management in the broad pediatric range from neonate to adolescent; caring for and interacting with developmentally distinct groups; engaging in shared decision making with parents and adolescents; providing accommodations for prognoses that are often more uncertain than in adult patients; and delivering concurrent disease-directed therapy with palliative care.

This systematic review synthesizes knowledge about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among advanced cancer patients. EBSCO and Ovid databases were searched using core concepts, including advanced cancer, CAM, integrative medicine, and decision-making. Articles included in the final review were analyzed using narrative synthesis methods, including thematic analysis, concept mapping, and critical reflection on the synthesis process. Results demonstrate that advanced cancer patients who are younger, female, more educated, have longer duration of disease, and have previously used CAM are more likely to use CAM during this stage of illness. Key themes identified include patterns of and reasons for use; and barriers and facilitators to informed CAM decision-making. Knowledge regarding the use of CAM in advanced cancer remains in its nascent stages. Findings suggest a need for more research on understanding the dynamic process of CAM decision-making in the advanced cancer population from the patients' perspective.

It is well known that clinicians experience distress and grief in response to their patients' suffering. Oncologists and palliative care specialists are no exception since they commonly experience patient loss and are often affected by unprocessed grief. These emotions can compromise clinicians' personal well-being, since unexamined emotions may lead to burnout, moral distress, compassion fatigue, and poor clinical decisions which adversely affect patient care. One approach to mitigate this harm is self-care, defined as a cadre of activities performed independently by an individual to promote and maintain personal well-being throughout life. This article emphasizes the importance of having a self-care and self-awareness plan when caring for patients with life-limiting cancer and discusses validated methods to increase self-care, enhance self-awareness and improve patient care.