Open AccessPalliative Care and the Management of Common Distressing Symptoms in Advanced Cancer: Pain, Breathlessness, Nausea and Vomiting, and Fatigue
Author(s) -
Lesley A. Henson,
Matthew Maddocks,
Catherine Evans,
Murray Davidson,
Stephanie Hicks,
Irene J Higginson
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.482
H-Index - 548
eISSN - 1527-7755
pISSN - 0732-183X
DOI - 10.1200/jco.19.00470
Subject(s) - medicine , nausea , vomiting , palliative care , quality of life (healthcare) , distressing , cancer , population , intensive care medicine , cancer pain , physical therapy , nursing , chemistry , environmental health
Good symptom management in oncology is associated with improved patient and family quality of life, greater treatment compliance, and may even offer survival advantages. With population growth and aging, the proportion of patients with multiple symptoms—both related and unrelated to their cancer—is anticipated to increase, supporting calls for a more routine and integrated approach to symptom management. This article presents a summary of the literature for the use of symptom assessment tools and reviews the management of four common and distressing symptoms commonly experienced by people with advanced cancer: pain, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting, and fatigue. We also discuss the role of palliative care in supporting a holistic approach to symptom management throughout the cancer trajectory.