Early integration of palliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is warranted based on symptom burden and quality of life.

Commentary on: Butler SJ, Ellerton L, Gershon AS et al . Comparison of end-of-life care in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung cancer: a systematic review. Palliat Med . 2020;34(8):1030–43. doi: 10.1177/0269216320929556. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are two of the leading causes of death, with approximately 3.02 and 1.71 million deaths worldwide in 2016, respectively.1 Both these diseases show a similar pattern of symptom burden, specifically at the end of life, which include pain and dyspnoea. …