The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Apr 2007
ReviewRecent advances in the palliative management of respiratory symptoms in advanced-stage oncology patients.
Advanced-stage malignancies are often characterized by systemic complications related to primary tumor progression. Pulmonary complications such as cough and dyspnea are relatively common and can dramatically reduce quality of life and lead to inpatient or intensive care unit admission. ⋯ Dyspnea can arise from a range of etiologies that may or may not be related to the underlying malignant pulmonary disease. Recent advances in the management of malignant pleural effusion, central airway obstruction, and superior vena cava syndrome have allowed relatively noninvasive interventions to be performed that can significantly reduce dyspnea, minimize inpatient hospitalization, and improve the quality of life in patients where the major focus is palliative care.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Apr 2007
ReviewOn how increasing numbers of newer cancer therapies further delay referral to hospice: the increasing palliative care imperative.
Delay in referral of cancer patients to hospice until very near the end of life may deny patients and families optimal palliative care. A variety of factors may contribute to these delays. This article describes how the proliferation of newer anticancer therapies, although desirable overall, may further increase these delays. It is important for hospice personnel to understand these changes in medical oncology and to work to optimize palliative care delivery concomitantly with disease-remitting therapies.