- Dedication
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Cancer control and the burden of cancer
- Chapter 2 Active cancer prevention
- Chapter 3 Achieving behavioural changes in individuals and populations
- Chapter 4 Early diagnosis and screening in cancer control
- Chapter 5 Integrating science with service in cancer control: closing the gap between discovery and delivery
- Chapter 6 The impact of immunization on cancer control: the example of HPV vaccination
- Chapter 7 Improving cancer services: the approach taken in England
- Chapter 8 Population-based cancer control and the role of guidelines – towards a ‘systems’ approach
- Chapter 9 The optimal provision of cancer treatment services
- Chapter 10 Managing the costs of new therapies: the challenge of funding new drugs
- Chapter 11 Community supports for people affected by cancer
- Chapter 12 Improving quality of life
- Chapter 13 Shifting the paradigm: from complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to integrative oncology
- Chapter 14 Patient-centred supportive and palliative care
- Chapter 15 From cancer care to cancer control: organization of population-based cancer control systems
- Chapter 16 Getting the public involved in cancer control – doing something besides worrying
- Chapter 17 Organizational structures for cancer control
- Chapter 18 Evaluating the outcomes of cancer control
- Chapter 19 Priority setting methods and cancer control
- Chapter 20 Ethics and the idea of cancer control
- Chapter 21 Integrating cancer control with control of other non-communicable diseases
- Chapter 22 Cancer control in developing countries
- Chapter 23 Strengthening the global community for cancer control
- Index
(p. 221) Improving quality of life
- Chapter:
- (p. 221) Improving quality of life
- Author(s):
Shirley Bush
and Eduardo Bruera
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199550173.003.0012
Chapter 12 discusses oncological treatments that may be administered with either a curative or palliative intent. If cancer in a patient cannot be cured, then the focus of treatment changes to achieving an improvement in survival time, reducing symptom burden, optimizing performance, and hence improving quality of life (QOL). Palliative care is the last of the four components of a cancer control programme, after prevention, early detection, and diagnosis and treatment. Patients with advanced cancer may experience physical, psychosocial, and spiritual difficulties throughout their illness which impact on their overall QOL. The main objective of palliative care is to improve the QOL for both patients with life-threatening illness and their families. Therefore, it is necessary to assess QOL to ascertain if this goal is being met.
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- Dedication
- Preface
- Contributors
- Chapter 1 Cancer control and the burden of cancer
- Chapter 2 Active cancer prevention
- Chapter 3 Achieving behavioural changes in individuals and populations
- Chapter 4 Early diagnosis and screening in cancer control
- Chapter 5 Integrating science with service in cancer control: closing the gap between discovery and delivery
- Chapter 6 The impact of immunization on cancer control: the example of HPV vaccination
- Chapter 7 Improving cancer services: the approach taken in England
- Chapter 8 Population-based cancer control and the role of guidelines – towards a ‘systems’ approach
- Chapter 9 The optimal provision of cancer treatment services
- Chapter 10 Managing the costs of new therapies: the challenge of funding new drugs
- Chapter 11 Community supports for people affected by cancer
- Chapter 12 Improving quality of life
- Chapter 13 Shifting the paradigm: from complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to integrative oncology
- Chapter 14 Patient-centred supportive and palliative care
- Chapter 15 From cancer care to cancer control: organization of population-based cancer control systems
- Chapter 16 Getting the public involved in cancer control – doing something besides worrying
- Chapter 17 Organizational structures for cancer control
- Chapter 18 Evaluating the outcomes of cancer control
- Chapter 19 Priority setting methods and cancer control
- Chapter 20 Ethics and the idea of cancer control
- Chapter 21 Integrating cancer control with control of other non-communicable diseases
- Chapter 22 Cancer control in developing countries
- Chapter 23 Strengthening the global community for cancer control
- Index