While early palliative care (PC) has demonstrated survival and quality-of-life benefits in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), its impact in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains less understood. At the 2025 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Annual Conference, researchers presented findings from a retrospective study evaluating timing of PC referral and associated outcomes among patients with SCLC treated at Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Hospital, a safety net institution.

Of the 50 patients identified, 44% received early PC (within 30 days of diagnosis), and the majority of these had extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC). Patients with ES-SCLC were significantly more likely to receive early PC than those with limited-stage disease (P < 0.01). However, early PC referral did not significantly affect receipt of second-line therapy, hospitalizations, or dose reductions. Additionally, social determinants of health—such as housing instability or financial strain—were not associated with likelihood of referral.

Median overall survival (OS) in the early PC group (6.8 months) did not differ significantly from patients receiving routine, late, or no PC (8.5 months; P = 0.3), and OS in this cohort was notably shorter than historical benchmarks for ES-SCLC (13 months). Hospice referral occurred more frequently in the early PC group, though this trend was not statistically significant (45% vs 25%; P = 0.13).

The investigators concluded that while early PC referrals were more common in patients with ES-SCLC, these referrals did not improve survival or treatment-related outcomes. They emphasized the need for larger, multi-institutional studies to further clarify the role of early PC in the SCLC population.

Reference

Karkash A, He W, Tran M, Marin-Aceveda JA, Dawn Shields M. Impact of early palliative care on outcomes in small cell lung cancer. Presented at: 2025 NCCN Annual Conference; March 28-March 30, 2025; Orlando, Florida, and virtual.