Palliative care in pneumooncology

05/2020

MUDr. Gabriela Krákorová, Ph.D.

Klinika pneumologie a ftizeologie LF UK a FN Plzeň

SUMMARY

Palliative care is provided to patients with incurable disease and focuses on quality of life of patients and their families. It is not a “victory medicine”, it does not deny the death and does not try to postpone dying, but it is neither a “nihilistic medicine” in the sense of “there is nothing more we can do”. It is an active medicine, which seeks to decrease suffering. The article is than focusing on categorization of palliative care and, in detail, on the palliative care plan. This plan is made individually, based on the patienťs clinical status and in consonance with his or her preferences. A patient with lung cancer is usually significantly symptomatic. According to the published data, it is evident, that the early palliative care in lung cancer patients does not only lead to improvement of the quality of life and lower incidence of depression but it also prolongs survival. It is important to emphasize that superior palliative care cannot be delivered in health-care departments without the adequate number of educated caregivers, who have a high professional and human quality.

Key words

palliative care, lung cancer, individual approach, quality of life