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Supportive Care

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Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons

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Abstract

According to the definition of the National Cancer Institute, supportive care (SC) includes early and multidisciplinary management of symptoms of the disease, treatment-related side effects and diverse psychological, social and spiritual problems of the affected person. The aims of supportive care usually mingle with palliative care, which will be discussed separately. The main goal of supportive care is to improve or at least maintain the patient’s quality of life during cancer treatment. This is why SC is focused not only on the physical but also on the emotional, social and all other problems, which are important in normal life. There is a separate chapter on the psychological impacts of breast cancer (Chap. 20, Holcombe) so this chapter will focus on the physical elements of SC with special reference to chemotherapy issues and thromboembolic complications.

The management of the complications associated with chemotherapy of most relevance for oncologic breast surgeons includes thromboembolic complications, central and peripheral venous catheter-related problems, anti-emetic treatment and neutropenia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Medical University of Gdańsk, 7 Dębinki Street, 80-211, Gdansk, Poland

    Renata Zaucha MD, PhD

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  1. Renata Zaucha MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Renata Zaucha MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Medical School Department of Oncology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Lynda Wyld

  2. Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece

    Christos Markopoulos

  3. Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

    Marjut Leidenius

  4. Department of Oncology & Radiotherapy, Gdańsk Medical University Department of Oncology & Radiotherapy, Gdańsk, Poland

    Elżbieta Senkus-Konefka

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Zaucha, R. (2018). Supportive Care. In: Wyld, L., Markopoulos, C., Leidenius, M., Senkus-Konefka, E. (eds) Breast Cancer Management for Surgeons. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56673-3_57

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56673-3_57

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