Palliative treatment for cancer patients

The most difficult stage in the fight against a cancer is the moment when it is realized that it is not possible to influence the prognosis.

To alleviate symptoms and improve the quality of life in such cases, palliative treatment is used. It begins when other available means are not effective. It is palliative treatment that helps patients cope with pain, organ failure, anxiety, psychological distress.

It should be noted that such kind of assistance is impossible without professional constant medical control over the patient's condition. Palliative treatment includes various measures that make it easier to relieve the course of the disease. For their conduct, a combination of clinical medicine, the availability of qualified nursing and medical personnel, as well as professional care is necessary.

The main methods include:

- radiation oncology and radiation therapy ;

- Chemotherapy;

- brachytherapy;

- Stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery.

All these activities are aimed at solving the problems of reducing pain and alleviating the symptoms of the disease, providing psychological support, and creating the most comfortable conditions for the patient's as long and active as possible.

Palliative chemotherapy is performed to slow the course of the disease, stop the growth of the tumor. The procedures can be combined with irradiation. In such cases, in many clinics, combined protocols are used, where chemotherapy is prescribed at a certain time during radiotherapy. These measures are of great importance in prolonging the life of cancer patients.

Palliative treatment includes several basic principles:

- to recognize death and life as natural processes;

- not to prolong aging and not to approach a lethal outcome ;

- to eliminate pain and other manifestations of malignant neoplasm;

- During the life and after the death of the patient to provide psychological assistance to relatives.

The composition of measures includes examinations, in the course of which the severity of individual symptoms is identified and evaluated, and the prospects for influencing the patient's condition are determined. Upon completion of the therapeutic procedures, an analysis of their effectiveness is made.

During the examination, the symptoms are distributed according to their degree of severity. In addition, the prevalence of malignant neoplasm is specified, concomitant diseases are revealed, aggravating the manifestation of the tumor process. In the course of the survey, familiarization with the patient's environment is also carried out, sources of psychological support are identified.

Determination of the prospects for further manipulation is carried out on the basis of the data obtained while examining and studying the relevant medical documentation.

It should be noted that conducting instrumental and laboratory research is a very significant stage. With an illiterate assessment of symptoms and a lack of understanding of their pathogenesis, palliative therapy will be ineffective.

When selecting a method, participation, no doubt, should be taken, as far as possible, by the patient himself. In this case, the doctor must explain in detail the advantages and disadvantages of each method of exposure. Along with this, in spite of sufficiently full information and probable participation of the patient, the responsibility for the subsequent treatment in all cases is borne by the doctor only. It should be noted that the specialist should not take decisions that are inconsistent with the medical duty and his conscience, under the influence of the patient or his relatives.