free full access: Integrating Supportive and Palliative Care in the Trajectory of Cancer: Establishing Goals and Models of Care — JCO

"......One of the key barriers to early referral is the misunderstanding that palliative care is only provided at the end of life once patients have exhausted all cancer treatment options. Some oncologists have expressed the concern that a referral to palliative care would destroy a patient's hope. It is important to recognize that patients do not need to choose between cancer treatments and supportive/palliative care. Rather, they can take advantage of the expertise of both the oncology and the palliative care teams in optimizing quantity and quality of life under a simultaneous care model......"