Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 1-2e/2020

What is the place of palliative medicine in oncology?

Over the past five decades, palliative care has evolved from a philosophy of care that focuses on the last days of life to a professional specialty that delivers comprehensive supportive care to patients with advanced illnesses throughout the disease trajectory(1). Randomised clinical trials on integration of oncology and palliative care point to health gains: improved survival and symptom control, less anxiety and depression, reduced use of futile chemotherapy at the end of life, improved family satisfaction and quality of life, and improved use of health-care resources (2). Full integration of oncology and palliative care relies on the specific knowledge and skills of two modes of care: the tumour-directed approach, the main focus of which is on treating the disease; and the host-directed approach, which focuses on the patient with the disease (2).

Keywords: palliative care, oncological care, integration