Cancer Therapy, Palliative
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Definition
Palliative cancer therapy is treatment specifically directed to help improve the symptoms associated with terminal cancer.
Description
Pain is one of the common symptoms associated with cancer. Approximately 75% of terminal cancer patients have pain. Pain is a subjective symptom and thus it cannot be measured using technological approaches. Pain can be assessed using numeric scales (from one to 10, one is rated as no pain while 10 is severe) or rating specific facial expressions associated with various levels of pain. The majority of cancer patients experience pain as a result of tumor mass that compresses neighboring nerves, bone, or soft tissues, or from direct nerve injury (neuropathic pain). Pain can occur from affected nerves in the ribs, muscles, and internal structures such as the abdomen (cramping type pain associated with obstruction). Many patients also experience various types of pain as a direct result of follow-up tests, treatments (surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy) and diagnostic procedures (i.e., biopsy).
— Laith Farid Gulli, M.D.; Nicole Mallory, M.S.
