title: [Supportive care in cancer: concepts, achievements and challenges].
abstract: The aim of supportive care in oncology is to treat the cancer related symptoms and to deal with the side effects of the treatments of the neoplastic disease. The goal of this article is to present a review of the current state of knowledge in this field by successively exposing the achievements of the last few years, the not yet solved problems and the challenges caused by the new therapeutics against cancer. This article will expose the achievements in the control of cancer related symptoms like cerebral metastases, compressive syndromes, denutrition, dyspnea, bone metastases, thromboembolic events and pain. The recent progress in the management of the side effects of chemotherapy were accomplished in treatment or prevention of mucositis, nausea, febrile neutropenia, anemia and cardiotoxicity of the anthracyclines. The unsolved problems in supportive care are alopecia, thrombocytopenia, cancer-related fatigue and cachexia. Finally, these last years saw the advent of many agents of molecular-targeted therapy in medical oncology which currently form part of the current clinical practice. These treatments have their own side effects, different from those of the cytotoxic, hormonal or immunotherapeutic agents. It is necessary to know these side effects and their management in order to provide the best quality of care to the patients who receive these treatments.
authors.affiliation: Service de médecine, Clinique d'oncologie médicale, Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), rue Héger-Bordet 1, 1000 Bruxelles. fanny.bauvet@bordet.be
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bauvet
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klastersky
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Awada
mesh_terms: D000505:Alopecia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D000740:Anemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002100:Cachexia / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy; D010166:Palliative Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents