 |
When cancer is diagnosed, it is important to determine the goals of treatment. For the majority of patients at presentation, the goal of treatment is to cure the cancer; however, that treatment sometimes offers its own challenges. Some cancers may go undetected until cure is not possible and for others, cure is unlikely by the very nature of the cancer. Control of the cancer by chemotherapy, hormonal treatments, radiation or surgery may provide the best chance of improving symptoms and prolonging life even if we cannot expect to cure the disease. This strategy can be described as palliative treatment and often includes supportive care to manage the physical, psycho-social and spiritual demands of treatment.
If cancer recurs after treatment and cannot be controlled, palliative care to bring comfort to the whole person suffering from the illness becomes increasingly important. We must turn to the patient for the goals of care. Control of distressing physical symptoms, education about the changes occurring, and psycho-social and spiritual support become paramount. Palliative care and its partner, hospice care, seek to support and help patients and their families identify and accomplish goals. While never easy, many patients and families find this time together very rewarding.
Supportive and palliative care both seek to optimize quality of life as defined by the patient throughout the continuum of cancer care. They include emotional support, education, the management of symptoms related to treatment or disease, and care to relieve suffering and support healing at any point in the cancer journey.
Meg Gerken, MD, specializes in Palliative and Hospice Care for Rockingham Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice and can be contacted at (603) 772-2981.
For more information on palliative care, please click the following links:
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Innisfree |
|
