Neurológia pre prax 1/2010
Palliative treatment in brain and spinal cord tumours
First, the author deals with the etymology of the word palliative for a better understanding of its meaning and defines its use in medicine. Next, he presents a list of the major symptoms accompanying brain tumours that make the lives of patients harder and focuses on their palliative management. He emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach which should result in a most bearable quality of life of patients in their last months or years of life, which is not only about relieving the symptoms of disease. A similar approach is described also for malignant spinal cord tumours including terminal care.
Keywords: palliative care, brain tumours, spinal cord tumours, meningeal carcinomatosis.
