The Adverse Effects of Radiotherapy and Its Management in the Hospice and Palliative Care Patients.
- Author:
Soon Sin LEE
1
;
Young Jin PARK
;
Seong Ho HAN
;
Joo Sung PARK
Author Information
1. Department of Family Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. drhans@donga.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Radiotherapy;
Adverse effects;
Hospice care;
Palliative care
- MeSH:
Aftercare;
Hospice Care;
Hospices;
Humans;
Palliative Care;
Recurrence;
Survival Rate;
Survivors
- From:Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
2011;14(2):61-70
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
Recent advances in techniques and strategies use to detect cancer in its early stages and to treat it effectively has the survival rate of cancer patients and the number of long-term cancer survivors continually increasing. Unfortunately, many cancer survivors are at risk for various late and long-term effects of cancer treatments including the radiotherapy. Long-term cancer survivors can be also seen for a hospice and palliative care because of cancer recurrence and they are at risk of delayed reactions to radiotherapy. So, the understanding and knowledge of radiation reactions is required for the proper medical diagnosis, management, and coordination of the potential reactions that may occur in these care setting. In effort to increase the survival rate in cancer patients and to decrease the adverse effects of cancer treatment, many clinical studies have been and continue to be conducted. The efforts of these studies have thus resulted in the advancement of cancer treatments. Regrettably, the overall interest in how to manage adverse effects of cancer treatment such as radiotherapy appears seemingly low in clinical practice and its advanced studies as a whole are delayed and deficient. It is imperative that the medical community show an enthusiastic interest in the aftercare of cancer patients and cancer survivors in order to create a complementary integrative approach that will eliminate radiotherapy related pain/discomfort or illness in hospice and palliative care settings.
