[Current perspectives and future direction of palliative medicine for cancer patients in Japan].
Role of palliative medicine for cancer patients has been expanding to even in earlier stage of disease. We have various new drugs in palliation of symptoms and signs, such as severe pain due to tumor invasion, depression, nausea and vomiting, chemotherapy-induced anemia and neutropenia, etc. Recently pharmacogenomics and drug metabolism became to be focused in cancer treatment. It may cause unexpected toxicity due to drug-drug interaction and may raise unreasonably lower effect due to individual heterogeneity of drug metabolism. To facilitate and maintain better-quality palliative medicine allover Japan, a well-organized educational system and multi-institutional research groups should be established on the basis of a large academic and clinical association. The Japanese Society of Palliative Medicine (JSPM) is one of the candidate of these tasks. The JSPM consists with more than 4,900 members of doctors, nurses and other health professionals who are working in palliative cancer medicine. They have conducting to make guidelines for each symptom control and to increase lobby action to establish efficient networks of palliative cancer medicine in each district of Japan within several years.
Eguchi
Kenji
K
Oncology Center, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Tokai School of Medicine.
D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000639:trends*