Implementation of guideline based standards for Best Supportive Care in a clinical trial: A pilot study

Best Supportive Care Randomized clinical trials in cancer care usually have a best supportive care arm compared to the intervention arm. As yet, no consensus for what this best supportive care should be exists. This is a multi site pilot study to determine the feasibility of guideline based consensus for best supportive care. The study will involve enrolling oncologists and palliative care practitioners, as well as enrolling cancer patients receiving chemotherapy for inoperable or metastatic cancers with life expectancy of one year. Trial will have two sequential phases, first phase will have practitioners provide usual care for a period of 2 months or 8 weeks, this will be followed by practitioners using a checklist to provide palliative care in addition to usual care for another two months. Trial patients will be monitored for improved symptom control, satisfaction as well as stress, trial practitioners will be surveyed for feasibility of implementing these guidelines.