Dr. Ramchandran on Considerations for Palliative Care in Thoracic Cancers

Kavitha Ramchandran, MD, a medical oncologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, discusses considerations as patients with thoracic malignancies enter palliative care.

Palliative care is the optimal supportive care for patients and families, explains Ramchandran. When patients are thinking about palliative care, they should consider their goals while undergoing cancer-directed therapy.

Ramchandran recommends informing patients about the data surrounding palliative care, including that it improves QoL, longevity, function, and survival. Similar to how patients ask for the best disease-modifying therapy or the best targeted therapy, Ramchandran says patients should ask for palliative care.