Articles: palliative-care.
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Two types of procedure may be indicated in incurable patients. The first is palliative, in which the goal of intervention is relief of symptoms. ⋯ Procedures are categorized by the type of symptom the procedure is intended to relieve. This article emphasizes the principles involved in patient selection and outcome assessment in order to identify areas where more research is needed.
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Surg. Oncol. Clin. N. Am. · Jan 2001
ReviewPharmacologic management of pain: the surgeon's responsibility.
Historically, surgeons have had to witness their patients' pain probably longer than any specialty within medicine. Pain relief in palliative care forms the cornerstone of a comprehensive pattern of care that encompasses the physical, psychologic, social, and spiritual aspects of suffering. In a society that lives by mottoes, such as "no pain, no gain," and "just say no to drugs," pervasive subconscious barriers to effective pain relief exist. In being responsible for effective pain management to the patient, the surgeon must first set aside his or her own beliefs and attitudes regarding pain and its control and be open to change.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2001
Comparative StudyPalliative cancer care in two health centres and one hospice in Finland.
This study evaluates palliative treatment of inpatient cancer patients in two health centres and in one hospice in Finland. Apart from outpatient clinics, health centres in Finland also have inpatient wards where patients are treated by GPs. The hospice provides a home-like environment for terminal patients, who are cared for by a specialist in internal medicine. ⋯ Hospice patients (20/35) were significantly (P < 0.001) more concerned about the wellbeing of their relatives than patients in the health centres (2/35). In the hospice 18 patients (50%) showed significantly (P < 0.001) more spiritual needs than health centre patients (4/34). We conclude that more education is needed to improve the awareness of the multidimensional needs of terminally ill cancer patients in primary health care.
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The Journal of urology · Jan 2001
Clinical TrialThe use of bisphosphonate for the palliative treatment of painful bone metastasis due to hormone refractory prostate cancer.
Hormone refractory prostate cancer is dominated by osseous metastases leading to bone pain and pathological fractures. We assessed the clinical efficacy of bisphosphonate in the management of symptomatic skeletal metastases due to prostate cancer. ⋯ Bisphosphonate treatment of painful osseous metastases due to hormone refractory prostate cancer results in a significant pain decrease and a significant decrease in the daily consumption of analgesics in 75% of patients. Each characteristic is paralleled by an increase in the Karnofsky index, mainly due to better mobility. Bisphosphonate should have a definite role in the palliative management of symptomatic hormone refractory prostate cancer.