[Palliative medicine in oncology].
The aim of Palliative Medicine is the study of the illness person and the preservation and defence of his dignity. It is not only not opposite to Curative Medicine but also complementary. It includes physical, psychological, social and spiritual factors. Palliative Medicine must be present from the diagnosis through the different evolutive stages of our patients. It is not only the care programs for terminally cancer patients. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are used as specific palliation in some situations in order to improve quality of life, survival time or symptomatic control. Human dignity is based on the fact of being, apart from its circumstances or its abilities. When a patient tells us:--Doctor, I don't want to live. We should translate:--Doctor, I don't want to live ... this way. Then, we should wonder how are we taking care of this person. Good caring begins in a good information along the whole process. I summarize it, as progressive and bearable truth. The key to get an appropriate treatment of our patients is to combine the pharmacological, dietetic an physical treatment with a deep understanding of the human being that should inform the whole medical practise.
González Barón
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D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005194:Family Practice; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017060:Patient Satisfaction
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
La medicina paliativa en Oncología.