Supportive Oncology E-Book

Book excerpt: Supportive Oncology, by Drs. Davis, Feyer, Ortner, and Zimmermann, is your practical guide to improving your patients‘ quality of life and overall outcomes by integrating palliative care principles into the scope of clinical oncologic practice at all points along their illness trajectories. A multidisciplinary editorial team, representing the dual perspectives of palliative medicine and oncology, offers expert guidance on how to effectively communicate diagnoses and prognoses with cancer patients and their families, set treatment goals, and manage symptoms through pharmacological therapies, as well as non-pharmacological therapies and counselling when appropriate. Integrate complementary palliative principles as early as possible after diagnosis with guidance from a multidisciplinary editorial team whose different perspectives and collaboration provide a well-balanced approach. Effectively communicate diagnoses and prognoses with cancer patients and their families, set treatment goals, and manage symptoms through pharmacological therapies, as well as non-pharmacological therapies and counseling when appropriate. Improve patients’ quality of life with the latest information on pain and symptom management including managing side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, rehabilitating and counselling long-term survivors, and managing tumor-related symptoms and other complications in the palliative care setting. Prescribe the most effective medications, manage toxicities, and deal with high symptom burdens.