Palliative care is any form of treatment given to cancer patients to relieve symptoms and side effects of the disease and improve quality of life. The goal of palliative care is not to cure the disease, but to make the patient as comfortable as possible throughout their journey with cancer. Palliative care addresses the patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, and also helps with more practical issues. Palliative treatments to improve your physical comfort may include pain or anti-nausea medication to combat the symptoms and side effects of cancer and its treatments. Some other examples of palliative treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, or less invasive procedures like photodynamic or laser therapy, to treat tumors pressing on organs or nerves or creating blockages. These treatments relieve the patient's physical symptoms and side effects and make the patient more comfortable, but don't cure the disease. Palliative care also includes any help dealing with the emotional and spiritual issues surrounding a cancer diagnosis, as well as practical concerns such as legal and financial questions. Your treatment team can refer you to counselors and support groups to help you cope with emotions, as well as resources to help you deal with practical concerns. Additionally, palliative care includes any support given to family members, friends, and caregivers to help them handle the extra responsibilities and difficult emotions that go along with a loved one's diagnosis.

Patients may receive palliative care in a cancer center, hospital, doctor's office, or in their home, depending on the specific treatments needed. Many large hospitals and cancer care centers have palliative care centers, teams, or specialists on staff to address the patient's physical and emotional. Although some hospitals have specialized palliative care centers, palliative care is provided any time a doctor addresses a patient's symptoms, side effects, and emotional needs. Often, your multi-disciplinary treatment team may consist of a palliative care specialist who will work with the rest of your treatment team to provide optimal care. Other times, your treatment team may be trained in providing palliative care and will address the issues as a normal part of your treatment.

Palliative care aims to reduce the physical symptoms of cancer and side effects of its treatment in order to improve patients' quality of life and make them as comfortable as possible throughout their journey with cancer. Some common physical symptoms of cancer and its treatments include pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, insomnia, fever, and many others. Your doctor can prescribe medications to reduce pain and relieve side effects such as nausea and vomiting. Sometimes cancer can cause pain and other symptoms by pressing on an organ, nerve, or bone, invading healthy tissue, or secreting harmful chemicals. Your doctor may recommend surgery or radiation therapy to shrink or remove the tumor causing problems. Your doctor may also be able to recommend other procedures such as nerve blocks, epidural or intrathecal pumps, or transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) to relieve pain, and others like photodynamic therapy and laser therapy to shrink small tumors. Your doctor may also recommend supplemental techniques to manage symptoms, such as meditation, accupuncture, massage therapy, or hypnosis. Finally, you may experience some severe side effects from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy. Your doctor will be able to prescribe you medication and give you helpful tips to manage these problems.

Palliative care also addresses the emotional and spiritual needs of the patient. Many patients and their families experience difficult emotions such as depression, fear, and anxiety when facing a cancer diagnosis and long road of treatment. Many family members may also feel uncertainty, worry, and fear when a love one is diagnosed with cancer. Palliative care helps these people cope by providing services such as counseling, support groups, and family meetings. Your treatment team may also be able to recommend a chaplain to provide spiritual support and help guide you through this difficult time.

Cancer patients and their families often have practical concerns about their finances, insurance, employment, and legal matters. Your palliative care team can help ease this burden by explaining the technical details of different laws and forms and guiding you through this process. Your palliative care team may also provide you with financial and legal counseling and point you towards state and national resources that can help. Palliative care can also ease the burden on family members, who may be overwhelmed by the extra responsibility of caring for a loved one as well as handling other obligations.

Palliative care can be extremely beneficial to a patient's health and well-being. Patients whose symptoms are better managed have better overall quality of life, more trust and confidence in their doctor, and more optimism about treatment. Patients are better able to deal with their illness when their symptoms and side effects are under control. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctors and nurses and ask about your diagnosis, treatment plan, and prognosis. Tell your doctors about any pain, discomfort, symptoms, or side effects you experience. It is important to maintain good communication with your treatment team so your doctors know if you are ever uncomfortable or troubled in any way, or have any concerns.