Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Basics of Planning and Management of Patients during Radiation Therapy pp 39–45Cite as

Palliative and Supportive Care of Cancers

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 1178 Accesses

Abstract

Supportive care is as important as therapy to modify the course of cancer irrespective of the possible outcomes and includes symptom control, psychosocial support and rehabilitation. A subset of supportive care is palliative care, in cases where anticipated life is shortened as a result of cancer. Another subset of palliative care is terminal care in which the goal is to comfort the dying person, as at this time nothing can change the course of the disease. This chapter attempts at introducing various concepts important and relevant in palliative services and supportive care in cancer patients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  1. Sepulveda C, Marlin A, Yoshida T, et al. Palliative care: the World Health Organization’s global perspective. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2002;24:91–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. WHO. Cancer control: knowledge into action: WHO guide for effective programmes. Module 5: palliative care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lynn J, Adamson DM. Living well at the end of life: adapting health care to serious chronic illness in old age. Santa Monica: Rand; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Maguire P. Barriers to psychological care of the dying. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1985;291:1711–3.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Johnson CE, Girgis A, Paul CL, et al. Cancer specialists’ palliative care referral practices and perceptions: results of a national survey. Palliat Med. 2008;22:51–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hearn J, Higginson IJ. Outcome measures in palliative care for advanced cancer patients: a review. J Public Health Med. 1997;19:193–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Bodenheimer T. The Oregon Health Plan—lessons for the nation. First of two parts. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:651–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Cancer care during the last phase of life. J Clin Oncol. 1998;16:1986–96.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Steinhauser KE, Christakis NA, Clipp EC, et al. Factors considered important at the end of life by patients, family, physicians, and other care providers. JAMA. 2000;284:2476–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Smith TJ, Schnipper LJ. The American Society of Clinical Oncology program to improve end-of-life care. J Palliat Med. 1998;1:221–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Currow DC, Ward AM, Plummer JL, et al. Comfort in the last 2 weeks of life: relationship to accessing palliative care services. Support Care Cancer. 2008;16:1255–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Wallston KA, Burger C, Smith RA, et al. Comparing the quality of death for hospice and non-hospice cancer patients. Med Care. 1988;26:177–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Miller SC, Mor V, Teno J. Hospice enrollment and pain assessment and management in nursing homes. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2003;26:791–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Miller SC, Mor V, Wu N, et al. Does receipt of hospice care in nursing homes improve the management of pain at the end of life? J Am Geriatr Soc. 2002;50:507–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Jack B, Hillier V, Williams A, et al. Hospital based palliative care teams improve the symptoms of cancer patients. Palliat Med. 2003;17:498–502.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Teno JM, Clarridge BR, Casey V, et al. Family perspectives on end-of-life care at the last place of care. JAMA. 2004;291:88–93.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Brumley RD, Enguidanos S, Cherin DA. Effectiveness of a home-based palliative care program for end-of-life. J Palliat Med. 2003;6:715–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Hughes SL, Cummings J, Weaver F, et al. A randomized trial of the cost effectiveness of VA hospital based home care for the terminally ill. Health Serv Res. 1992;26:801–17.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Kane RL, Wales J, Bernstein L, et al. A randomized controlled trial of hospice care. Lancet. 1984;1:890–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Abernethy AP, Currow DC, Fazekas BS, et al. Specialized palliative care services are associated with improved short- and long-term caregiver outcomes. Support Care Cancer. 2008;16:585–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Aoun SM, Kristjanson LJ, Hudson PL, et al. The experience of supporting a dying relative: reflections of caregivers. Prog Palliat Care. 2005;13:319–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Christakis NA, Iwashyna TJ. The health impact of health care on families: a matched cohort study of hospice use by decedents and mortality outcomes in surviving, widowed spouses. Soc Sci Med. 2003;57:465–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Costantini M, Higginson IJ, Boni L, et al. Effect of a palliative home care team on hospital admissions among patients with advanced cancer. Palliat Med. 2003;17:315–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Shelby-James TM, Currow DC, Phillips PA, et al. Promoting patient centred palliative care through case conferencing. Aust Fam Physician. 2007;36:961–4.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Taylor DH Jr, Ostermann J, Van Houtven CH, et al. What length of hospice use maximizes reduction in medical expenditures near death in the US Medicare program? Soc Sci Med. 2007;65:1466–78.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Ahlner-Elmqvist M, Jordhoy MS, Jannert M, et al. Place of death: hospital-based advanced home care versus conventional care. A prospective study in palliative cancer care. Palliat Med. 2004;18:585–93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Connor SR, Pyenson B, Fitch K, et al. Comparing hospice and non-hospice patient survival among patients who die within a three-year window. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007;33:238–46.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Finlay IG, Higginson IJ, Goodwin DM, et al. Palliative care in hospital, hospice, at home: results from a systematic review. Ann Oncol. 2002;13(Suppl 4):257–64.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Goodwin DM, Higginson IJ, Edwards AG, et al. An evaluation of systematic reviews of palliative care services. J Palliat Care. 2002;18:77–83.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Higginson IJ, Finlay I, Goodwin DM, et al. Do hospital-based palliative teams improve care for patients or families at the end of life? J Pain Symptom Manage. 2002;23:96–106.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Higginson IJ, Finlay IG, Goodwin DM, et al. Is there evidence that palliative care teams alter end-of-life experiences of patients and their caregivers? J Pain Symptom Manage. 2003;25:150–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Hearn J, Higginson IJ. Do specialist palliative care teams improve outcomes for cancer patients? A systematic literature review. Palliat Med. 1998;12:317–32.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Harding R, Higginson IJ. What is the best way to help caregivers in cancer and palliative care? A systematic literature review of interventions and their effectiveness. Palliat Med. 2003;17:63–74.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Christakis NA, Iwashyna TJ, Zhang JX. Care after the onset of serious illness: a novel claims-based dataset exploiting substantial cross-set linkages to study end-of-life care. J Palliat Med. 2002;5:515–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Currow DC, Abernethy AP, Fazekas BS. Specialist palliative care needs of whole populations: a feasibility study using a novel approach. Palliat Med. 2004;18:239–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. McNamara B, Rosenwax LK, Holman CD. A method for defining and estimating the palliative care population. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2006;32:5–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Joranson DE, Rajagopal MR, Gilson AM. Improving access to opioid analgesics for palliative care in India. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2002;24:152–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Rajagopal MR, Joranson DE. India: opioid availability. An update. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007;33:615–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Brennan F, Carr DB, Cousins M. Pain management: a fundamental human right. Anesth Analg. 2007;105:205–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiotherapy, Regional Cancer Centre, JIPMER Department of Radiotherapy, Puducherry, India

    Ashutosh Mukherji

Authors
  1. Ashutosh Mukherji
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Mukherji, A. (2018). Palliative and Supportive Care of Cancers. In: Basics of Planning and Management of Patients during Radiation Therapy. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6659-7_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6659-7_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-6658-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-6659-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation