NCCN task force report: Supportive and palliative care

An interdisciplinary task force was convened by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) to formulate supportive and palliative care topics fo r which the NCCN should develop clinical guidelines. The task force defined supportive and palliative care as compiehelzsive, interdisciplinary care t hat maximizes patient and family quality of life through-out the continuum of cancer. The task force further created a set of principles for supportiv e and palliative care that should be adopted blv NCCN institutions: (1) All patients should be screened for supportive and palliative care needs and s hould have access to its competent delivery; (2) Supportive and palliative care should promote personal growth and must address caregiver concerns and issues; (3) Effective communication and continuity of care are critical co mponents of supportive and palliative care; (4) Supportive and palliative c are should be integrated into all NCCN guidelines at all decision points. U sing a Delphi process, the task force prioritized 23 supportive and palliat ive care topics and recommended the following for guideline development in the coming year: end-of-life care, communication,fatigue/weakness, respirat ory symptoms, nutritional-support, mucositis, gastrointestinal symptoms, an d rehabilitation. To date, the NCCN Board has approved the establishment of expert panels to develop supportive and palliative care guidelines for end -of-life care, fatigue/ weakness, and nutrition. The Board also created tas k forces to explore the feasibility of guidelines for patient-clinician com munication and senior adult oncology.