Diagnosing with stage 4 cancer can deeply affect physical and mental health. And when a person is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, treatment options might shift towards managing the disease and its symptoms rather than aiming to get rid of the disease.
What is stage 4 cancer?
In stage 4, the cancer has progressed to distant parts of the body from its original location. It is also known as metastatic cancer at times. Years after the original cancer has developed, metastasis can be detected.
What is palliative care treatment?
Palliative care aims to improve your quality of life while managing and relieving the symptoms. If there are any concerning symptoms, like pain or sickness, palliative care treatment can be effective. Even in advanced cases of cancer, palliative care can prolong and improve a patient’s quality of life.
Palliative care involves more than just taking painkillers and prescribed medications to manage the symptoms. Moreover, the symptoms can be managed or relieved by cancer treatments. For example, by reducing the size of a tumor and the pressure on the nearby tissues or nerves they can help in reducing pain.
How does palliative care go beyond pain management?
Palliative care is often misunderstood as a care or treatment that is focused on pain management for terminally ill patients. However, it’s a much broader and proactive approach to care. Here’s a breakdown of palliative care offers:
Symptom management:
Palliative care specialists address a wide range of symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment, including pain, fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, depression, and anxiety. You can also seek the best cancer doctor In Coimbatore alongside taking palliative care to manage symptoms much more effectively.
Emotional and spiritual support:
The emotional and spiritual toll of cancer can be significant. Palliative care teams provide emotional support to patients and their families, addressing fears, anxieties, and concerns. They can also patients with spiritual resources if desired.
Communication and decision-making:
Palliative care specialists facilitate open communication between patients, families, and healthcare providers. They can help patients understand their treatment options and navigate difficult decisions.
What are the benefits of palliative care?
Integrating palliative care into your stage 4 cancer treatment plan offers a multitude of benefits:
Improved quality of life:
Palliative care effectively manages symptoms, allowing patients to focus on living life to the fullest. Pain relief, reduced nausea, and improved sleep can significantly improve sleep and can significantly improve a patient’s well-being.
Reduced hospitals:
Palliative care can help manage symptoms at home, reducing unnecessary hospital stays.
Enhanced decision-making:
Open communication and support from the palliative care team empower patients to make informed decisions about their care based on their values and goals.
Reduced stress and anxiety:
Emotional and spiritual support helps patients and families cope with the emotional challenges associated with stage 4 cancer.
How does palliative care and other treatments work together?
It is important to understand that palliative care is not a replacement for curative cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. These treatments can still be pursued alongside palliative care, to shrink tumors or extend life.
Palliative care works with curative treatment in several ways:
Managing side effects:
Curative treatments can cause side effects that can significantly impact quality of life. Palliative care effectively manages these side effects, allowing patients to tolerate and potentially continue curative treatment for longer.
Improved treatment tolerance:
When patients feel better and experience less pain or other symptoms, they are often more likely to tolerate and adhere to their curative treatment plan.
Focusing on overall well-being:
While curative treatments focus on shrinking tumors or extending life, palliative care ensures patients can live comfortably and have a good quality of life throughout their treatment journey.
Who can benefit from palliative care?
Palliative care is often associated with those who are dying or close to passing away. Palliative care refers to a form of treatment for metastatic cancer that helps to improve the quality of life and relieve symptoms. Accepting palliative care resources can help you save energy for the things that are important to you, even though it may seem strange to consider asking for help when you are still relatively well.
If you decide you no longer want active treatment to control your cancer, palliative care may be very beneficial.
Can you continue with cancer treatment while being under palliative care?
Active treatment is still an option if you want to slow the cancer’s growth or shrink it. Your cancer specialists and the palliative care team will collaborate to manage treatment side effects and preserve your quality of life.
Palliative care may also include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery for cancer patients. In this instance, managing cancer or reducing symptoms is more important than curing it.
How long is palliative care provided?
The length of time you can receive palliative care will be decided by you and your palliative care team. Palliative care services provide you with support for months or years following your diagnosis if you have advanced-stage cancer. The palliative care team will continuously evaluate your evolving needs and modify your care to match, regardless of where you are in the process.
Important Takeaway:
Palliative care offers hope to patients with terminally ill conditions, by managing symptoms, facilitating communication, and offering emotional support. Palliative care allows you to focus on what truly matters, like spending time with loved ones. With palliative care treatment at the best cancer hospital in Coimbatore, you can navigate the challenges of stage 4 cancer with strength and dignity.
