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PALLIATIVE AND SHARED CARE CONCEPTS IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED COLORECTAL CANCER
Author(s) -
Aggarwal Ghauri,
Glare Paul,
Clarke Stephen,
Chapuis Pierre H.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2006.03675.x
Subject(s) - medicine , palliative care , multidisciplinary approach , colorectal cancer , quality of life (healthcare) , multidisciplinary team , nursing , disease , intensive care medicine , family medicine , cancer , social science , sociology
Approximately 50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) will eventually die of metastatic disease. Effective palliative management can be used within a shared care model in CRC to provide optimum symptom control, psychological well‐being and maintenance of quality of life for patients, their families and carers, including bereavement support. Maintenance of realistic hope and early goal setting are equally important in end‐of‐life discussions with patients and families. Palliative care should be incorporated early in the course of the illness, concurrent with disease‐modifying therapies. Within shared care, the palliative medicine specialist, surgeon and other members of the multidisciplinary team can each bring their own expertise to provide a patient‐centred approach. A case is presented that incorporates some of these principles and exemplifies the benefits of contemporary palliative care for patients with advanced CRC.