Palliative care in cervical cancer patients

Abstract

The use of aggressive treatments in patients with advanced cervical cancer at the end of life is frequent. Different studies have suggested no appreciable difference in survival between patients treated aggressively versus those that received palliative care, the term is frequently misconstrued as synonymous with end-of-life. Palliative care is focused on the relief of suffering, in all of its dimensions, throughout the course of a patient's illness. A provisional clinical opinion released by the American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends the use of palliative care alongside standard oncologic therapy for patients newly diagnosed with metastatic cancer, according with the patients' needs. The purpose of the chapter is to highlight the importance of palliative care (PC) as an integral part of the care of CaCu patients. A better understanding of PC would help the oncologist to identify potentially eligible patients for PC; researchers to standardize the design for future trials and administrators promote the implementation of PC programs and allocate proper resources.