Background: Early palliative care for patients with advanced cancer has been shown to have a variety of benefits including better quality of life and improved mood. However clinical trial methodology and outcomes in this space have been mixed.

Aim/Methods: This nation-wide multi-centre randomised controlled trial sought to examine outcomes of early specialist palliative care referral for patients with advanced thoracic cancers in our healthcare setting, compared to standard oncology care with referral at clinician’s discretion. The primary endpoint was health-related quality of life.

Results: No significant difference was seen between arms. This presentation will include the most current data analyses from this study, reflections on integrated palliative cancer care and discussions about pragmatic service delivery.