Vol 11, No 1 (2015)
Review paper
Published online: 2015-03-12
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Palliative care — essential part of multidisciplinary approach in oncology

Jolanta Andrzejuk, Renata Biernacka, Tomasz Lewandowski
Onkol. Prak. Klin 2015;11(1):20-25.

Abstract

The main goals of palliative care are enhancing quality of life and maintaining optimal performance status of incurable patients. Unlike supportive care, focusing on allowing further oncological treatment, it aim is committed to minimizing the symptoms of the disease and side effects of therapy. Palliative care also meets spiritual, psychological and social needs of terminally ill people. Growing number of documents shows beneficial effect of its early beginning. Most important profits of this attitude are better symptom control, quality of life and probably longer survival. Patient with poor prognosis may avoid ineffective and detrimental therapies, receiving the best end-of-life care instead.