title: Review article: palliative care in gynecologic oncology.
abstract: Patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies have a multitude of symptoms; pain, nausea, and vomiting, constipation, anorexia, diarrhea, dyspnea, as well as symptoms resulting from intestinal obstruction, hypercalcemia, ascites, and/or ureteral obstruction. Pain is best addressed through a multimodal approach. The optimum palliative management of end-stage malignant intestinal obstruction remains controversial, with no clear guidelines governing the choice of surgical versus medical management. Patient selection for palliative surgery, therefore, should be highly individualized because only carefully selected candidates may derive real benefit from such surgeries. There remains a real need for more emphasis on palliative care education in training programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY 12208, USA.
authors.forename: Youssef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.forename: Patrick F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Timmins
authors.forename: Howard S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000855:Anorexia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D002100:Cachexia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D003248:Constipation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D016638:Critical Illness; D003693:Delirium / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D008495:Medical Oncology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*