Treatment approaches to cancer often focus solely on the disease itself, but what about the rest of the body? A person undergoing treatment for cancer can attest that there is much more going on than just what's happening at the disease site.
In order to treat the patient holistically, each person’s individual needs, beyond the diagnosis, need to be taken into account.
What is palliative care for cancer patients?
Palliative care finds its origins in the word palliation, which means to make a person with a severe disease comfortable. The Latin root word means “cloaked,” or cloaking someone’s pain. With the common onset of symptoms caused by treatment options such as chemotherapy or radiation, palliative care can offer relief from some of the secondary or tertiary effects of undergoing cancer treatment.
The mission of palliative cancer treatment is better quality of life for the patient, which can include focusing on multiple areas of the body, as well as the mind and spirit. Get Palliative Care mentions that not all doctors are aware of the benefits of palliative care treatment or even agree on its definition. Educating yourself about the practice and bringing it to your care team can help add extra layers of support you may need during your treatment process.
Three types of palliative care for cancer patients
Palliative cancer care can look different depending on your individual needs. One benefit of palliative treatment is that it can be customized. Palliative care teams are often trained experts in this type of care and can offer a variety of options in coordination with your cancer care team.
Palliative care for cancer patients can look like pain management, symptom management, and/or mind-body work. Palliative care doctors will often look for alternatives to pain medication, at least initially, in order to manage pain. HelloCare referenced the World Health Organization’s suggested three-step ladder of pain management in adults, which helps to assess pain levels in real time, to better understand the source of the pain, and to recommend the appropriate levels of relief.
Symptom management through a palliative cancer care treatment plan can look like nutrition consultations or discussions about supplement usage, as well as other integrative approaches to managing common cancer treatment symptoms including fatigue, nausea, stress or depression.
Mind-body therapies can also help with depression, anxiety or stress by using tactics such as yoga, meditation, music therapy, guided imagery and deep breathing exercises. All types of palliative cancer care take a holistic approach to treating the patient.
Palliative Care vs. Hospice
Palliative care is often confused with hospice care because both are commonly defined as keeping patients comfortable and improving quality of life. The distinct difference is those receiving hospice care are not expected to improve.
The National Institute on Aging gives a clear definition of a hospice care patient as “attempts to cure the patient’s illness have stopped. Hospice is provided for a person with a terminal illness whose doctor believes he or she has six months or less to live if the illness runs its natural course.” Palliative care, on the other hand, is given to patients to improve quality of life for a severe disease or illness at any stage.
Palliative care for cancer patients can begin at any stage of the treatment process. It should be integrated into a cancer care plan and expressed as wishes in advanced directives and other advanced planning documentation.
These conversations can often be difficult to have with loved ones, but educating them on the benefits of palliative care and that it does not equal a terminal diagnosis might alleviate some anxiety.
FAQs
Some key takeaways that are important to keep in mind and share with loved ones about palliative care are:
- Palliative care and hospice care both aim to improve quality of life for patients with a serious illness. Hospice care, however, is for those who are no longer receiving treatment to cure their disease and have been given six months or less to live.
- Palliative care for cancer patients can look like pain management, symptom management or mind-body therapies.
- Palliative care treats the whole patient, not just the disease. You can advocate to receive palliative care services as part of your treatment plan.
Oftentimes, having a place where you know you can go for resources and knowledge as well as a community of those who understand your experience can help relieve the stress and anxiety that comes along with being a patient undergoing cancer treatment, or one of their loved ones. OneVillage is a safe place, and we're here to give you a better way to navigate cancer.
