Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Review Meta Analysis
Symptoms During Outpatient Cancer Treatment and Options for Their Management.
Cancer patients account for a large segment of the German healthcare system, with a 5-year prevalence of around 1.7 million persons. Advances in oncological treatment, now frequently performed on an outpatient basis, are granting many of these individuals a longer life span. At the same time, cancer patients often suffer disease-related symptoms and adverse effects from their tumor treatment, which may strongly impair their quality of life despite the improved techniques for management of side effects. ⋯ Regular documentation of symptoms in outpatients offers the opportunity for targeted management of symptoms during treatment with the involvement of various disciplines such as palliative medicine, exercise therapy, and psychotherapy.
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Managing the last phase of life properly, i.e., taking care that a patient's wishes are respected at the end of life and beyond, is very important and can relieve the patient and his or her family of unnecessary burdens. ⋯ In the care of patients with life-limiting diseases, more attention should be paid to the management of the last phase of life. Palliative-care physicians can take over this task from other medical disciplines, and early integration in palliative care is recommended.