Neuro-oncology and palliative care: a challenging interface.

P atients with high-grade gliomas almost invariably develop disease progression despite recent advances in anticancer therapy. Increasingly, the value of formal palliative care consultation and management has been recognized in both cancer and noncancer medicine. However, there is a paucity of data to definitively guide the provision of palliative care for neuro-oncology patients. This paper aims to review the existing evidence for and describe the interface between palliative care and neuro-oncology, with a particular focus on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We also discuss the role of palliative care in nonmalignant neurologic disease where parallels with neuro-oncology might be drawn.