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 for which the NCCN should develop clinical guidelines. The task force defined supportive and palliative care as compiehelzsive, interdisciplinary care that maximizes patient and family quality of life through-out the continuum of cancer. The task force further created a set of principles for supportive and palliative care that should be adopted blv NCCN institutions: (1) All patients should be screened for supportive and palliative care needs and should 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 components of supportive and palliative care; (4) Supportive and palliative care should be integrated into all NCCN guidelines at all decision points. Using a Delphi process, the task force prioritized 23 supportive and palliative care topics and recommended the following for guideline development in the coming year: end-of-life care, communication,fatigue/weakness, respiratory symptoms, nutritional-support, mucositis, gastrointestinal symptoms, and 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 task forces to explore the feasibility of guidelines for patient-clinician communication and senior adult oncology.