Integrating palliative care into oncology care: confronting the barriers.

Palliative care is increasingly recognized as an essential component of quality oncology care. Despite growing evidence to support the role of palliative care in the oncology setting,[1] the integration of this complementary specialty into standard oncology practice has been slow to evolve. In their article, Drs. Ramchandran and Von Roenn describe palliative care and its role in oncology, as well as the challenges faced when integrating palliative care into oncology care. Overcoming these barriers to integration remains a formidable challenge for palliative and oncology practitioners alike and is an area of intense interest and ongoing research.