Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This trial studies early palliative care in improving recovery and quality of life in patients with cancer undergoing abdominal surgery. Frequently people diagnosed with cancer experience physical and emotional symptoms during the course of their disease. Introduction to a team of clinicians that specialize in the lessening of many of these distressing symptoms may improve overall care. This team of clinicians is called the palliative care team and they focus on ways to improve pain and other symptom management (i.e. shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety, etc.) and to assist patients and their families in coping with the emotional, social, and spiritual issues associated with a cancer diagnosis. This study is being done to see if receiving palliative care earlier is more useful compared to receiving palliative care late in the course of illness.