Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Improving Palliative Care for Patients With Cancer
Brief Summary: RATIONALE: Palliative care may help patients with advanced cancer live more comfortably.

PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying an early intervention palliative care program to see how well it works compared to a standard care program in improving end-of-life care in patients with advanced lung , gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or breast cancer.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

* Histologically or cytologically confirmed incurable NSCLC, stage IIIB with a pleural or pericardial effusion or stage IV
* Performance status 0-2
* Diagnosis of advanced NSCLC within the previous eight weeks
* Ability to read and respond to questions in English
* Permission of attending physician

Exclusion Criteria:

* Prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease
* Existence of other co-morbid disease, which in the opinion of the investigator prohibits participation in the protocol
B: Inclusion Criteria:

Patients with life-limiting cancer (prognosis of approximately 1 year) are eligible if:

* Patients are within 12 weeks of referral from an other hospital after receiving first line treatment or within 8 to 12 weeks of a new diagnosis (histological and cytological confirmed):

  * Metastatic and advanced pancreatic, stomach, oesophageal and biliary tract adenocarcinoma;
  * Metastatic or advanced NSCLC (stage IIIB or IV) or metastatic SCLC,
  * Malignant pleural mesothelioma
  * Metastatic or advanced head and neck cancer (stage III or IV)
* Patients are within 12 weeks of progression after receiving treatment and have an prognosis of approximately 1 year:

  * Metastatic and locally advanced colorectal cancer, with progression after second line treatment
  * Metastatic or advanced prostate carcinoma, after second line treatment
  * Advanced breast cancer with visceral and/or brain metastasis, with progression on second or third line treatment
  * Metastatic melanoma,
  * Metastatic or advanced kidney cancer,
  * Metastatic or advanced bladder cancer after first line treatment,

An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0, 1 or 2 and ability to read and respond to questions in Dutch.

Exclusion criteria:

* Patients under 18 years old
* Patients with impaired cognition
* Patients who met the palliative support team more then once or had a consultation within 6 months of inclusion.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age ≥ 18 years and \<75 years;
* Adequate knowledge about the cancer diagnosis;
* Starting first line palliative antineoplastic treatment;
* Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) ≤ 2;
* Life expectancy\> 6 months and \<24 months (as per the medical oncologist);
* Must have on the following diagnoses:

Metastatic or unresectable recurrent breast cancer; Stage IIIC or IV recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent cervix cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent endometrial cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent head and neck cancer (after previous radiotherapy); Hormone-refractory metastatic or unresectable recurrent prostate cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent genitourinary cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent non-small cell lung cancer; Extensive-stage or recurrent small cell lung cancer; Metastatic or unresectable recurrent gastrointestinal cancer;

Exclusion Criteria:

* Currently undergoing any psychological treatment due to a psychological disorder;
* Currently using antidepressants to treat depressive disorders and / or anxiety;
* Any cognitive deficit or attention problem that could interfere in the ability to answer questionnaires or understand the study aims (as per investigator);
* Current or previous established diagnosis of any of the following psychological conditions: Substance-Related Disorders; Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders; Mood Disorders (Depressive Disorders, Bipolar Disorders); Anxiety Disorders; Dissociative Disorders; Personality Disorders; and / or a history of suicide attempt;
* Patients with single resected metastasis;
* Any co-morbid condition, which, in the opinion of the investigator, could interfere with the safety, the compliance with the study or with the interpretation of the results.
* Patients unable to go to the hospital for the study visits, regardless of the reason.
D: DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of 1 of the following advanced cancers:

  * Stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer
  * Extensive stage small cell lung cancer
  * Stage IV breast cancer

    * Poor prognostic indicators (conferring likelihood of ≤ 2 years survival), including, but not limited to, any of the following:

      * Visceral crisis
      * Lung or liver metastasis
      * Estrogen receptor-negative disease
      * HER2/neu-positive disease
      * Progressive or recurrent disease during or within 2 years of first treatment
  * Unresectable stage III or stage IV gastrointestinal cancers
  * Stage IV genitourinary cancers

    * Prostate cancer must be hormone refractory
* Hormone receptor status:

  * Not specified

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Sex

* Not specified

Menopausal status

* Not specified

Performance status

* Not specified

Life expectancy

* Not specified

Hematopoietic

* Not specified

Hepatic

* Not specified

Renal

* Not specified

Other

* No dementia or significant confusion (i.e., Mini Mental Exam score \< 25)
* No Axis I psychiatric disorders (DSM-IV), including any of the following:

  * Schizophrenia
  * Bipolar disorder
  * Active substance use disorder

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Endocrine therapy

* See Disease Characteristics

Answer: D