The 2nd International Seminar of the PRC and EAPC RN took place in Ghent, Belgium, 18-19 October 2012. 123 participants from all over the world attended, and there were 34 plenary talks.

Presentations:

DAY 1, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18

Introduction by the Chair of the scientific committe, Luc Deliens (BE/NL): Palliative Care Research A clinical as well as a public health challenge

Part I – Circumstances and social context of death and dying

A. Place of death and end-of-life care

• Joachim Cohen (BE): International patterns in place of death
• Winne Ko (IT): Actual and preferred place of death in four European countries
• Per Sjøgren (DK): A Fast Track End of Life Discharge and Continuing Care at Home for Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

B.  Circumstances of dying

• Irene Higginson (UK): Symptoms and trajectories at the end of life: similarities and differences across diseases
• Natalie Evans (NL): Patient-doctor communication in the last phase of life
• Barry Laird (UK): Clinicopathological factors in prognosis in advanced cancer: Results from a PRC / EAPC RN study

Part II ­– Symptom management

A. Symptom control (update of clinical studies of the PRC)

• Marianne J. Hjermstad (NO): European Palliative Care Symptom Study (EPCCS)
• Tora S. Solheim (NO): Multimodal Cancer Cachexia Intervention Study (MENAC)
• Marie Fallon (UK): Two step vs. three step analgesic ladder for cancer pain control (TVT-study)

B. Guidelines and classification development (PRC/EAPC RN)

• Augusto Caraceni (IT): Update on cancer pain guidelines
• Anne Kari Knudsen (NO): Steps towards an international classification system for cancer pain
• Jann Arends (DE): Update on cachexia guidelines