Eduardo Bruera
I am a medical oncologist, specializing in palliative care and symptom management. I am the F.T. McGraw Chair in the Treatment of Cancer and head the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine at UTMDACC. My departments research program focuses on the treatment and management burdensome physical symptoms and/or psychological distress from cancer and/or the cancer treatment itself. Sometimes these physical and psychological symptoms require specialized care in conjunction to primary oncology treatment for disease. This is where a specialized multidisciplinary team in the Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine may benefit the patient and their family. Defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and families who face life-threatening illness, by providing pain and symptom relief, spiritual and psychosocial support from diagnosis throughout the course of illness. I have been a principal or co-investigator on several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients presenting with multi-dimensional problems, often including high levels of pain and physical symptoms as well as various psychosocial, spiritual, and existential issues requiring holistic end-of-life care. I have extensive experience in conducting single-center and multicenter randomized control trials. My research team and I have demonstrated that we can successfully accrue to trials investigating the effects of multidimensional problems and other cancer-related symptoms. Moreover, we have demonstrated that we can achieve excellent adherence rates both during and after treatments. My research team has published these and other research findings, in over 550 peer-reviewed articles in the leading journals in oncology and supportive care. Until recently, I held 3 active R01 studies sponsored by the NIH that are randomized controlled trials of methylphenidate, hydration, and morphine vs. methadone. I feel that this innovative proposal will contribute important information on the quality of life, delivery of palliative care, and will produce specific guidelines to efficient assessment, management, and evaluation of Palliative Care needs and services.
Abstracts this author is presenting: