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Symptom Management of the Dying Oncology Patient

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Dying and Death in Oncology

Abstract

The symptoms and suffering of the dying patient can be distressful to both the patient and the patient’s caregivers. Every effort is needed to assist the patient in comfortable and dignified death. Common symptoms at the end of life include pain, nausea, dyspnea, and, at the very end, a death rattle. Pain is the most common problem and has a multitude of potential approaches. For the dying patient, management with medications is the most common and useful approach. Nausea can be approached with either a standard approach or a mechanistic approach. Dyspnea responds best to morphine or other opioids, and the death rattle, although bothersome to the observer, is not a problem for the patient and there is no good treatment. Patients with intractable pain can benefit from palliative sedation. With proper management, patients should be able to have a comfortable death.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Morsani School of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Lawrence Berk MD, PhD

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  1. Lawrence Berk MD, PhD
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Correspondence to Lawrence Berk MD, PhD .

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  1. Morsani School of Medicine Tampa General Cancer Center, University of South Florida , Tampa, Florida, USA

    Lawrence Berk

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Berk, L. (2017). Symptom Management of the Dying Oncology Patient. In: Berk, L. (eds) Dying and Death in Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41861-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41861-2_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41859-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41861-2

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