The Role of Palliative Care in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Patients with lung cancer are often diagnosed late and the disease in such cases is often advanced. Common symptoms include breathlessness, haemoptysis and pain and these can have an impact on their quality of life. Patients might have challenging palliative and supportive care needs and in order to address these, palliative care should be offered earlier in the disease trajectory. An interdisciplinary approach, working jointly with the oncologists, respiratory teams and palliative care teams provide a holistic, comprehensive assessment in response to their changing needs. Advance care planning is best to be started early on especially in patients with a prognosis of about a year, in a sensitive manner, in order to involve the patient in discussion about their future wishes and priorities for care. It is important to recognise dying to be able to communicate with the patient and their family, recognise any symptoms and manage them proactively and achieve preferred place of care and death; a patient-centred approach is needed.

Keywords: End of life, Interdisciplinary approach, Palliative care, Quality of life, Supportive care, Symptom management.

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