The Impact of the Multi-Disciplinary Team Approach In Managing Palliative Head and Neck Cancer Patients: A Review
Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2017, Vol 1, Issue 7
Abstract
End of life care in head and neck cancer (HNC) is a complex process, addressing symptomatic, functional and psychosocial needs. In order to provide a high level of care the role of each member of the palliative care multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is vital. This review article discusses end of life care in HNC and the palliative care pathway. We highlight the contribution of each palliative care MDT member and the role of the head and neck surgeon in end of life care.The World Health Organisation define palliative care as: “an approach that is aimed at improving the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual”[1]. For the head and neck cancer patient who presents with advanced, incurable or recurrent disease, the role of palliative therapy is vital to ensure both quality of life and quality of dying, with as far as possible a symptomless end of life. Current estimates are that 60% of patients with head and neck cancer present with stage I or II disease, and of those 40% presenting with advanced disease, 10% will have metastatic “incurable’ disease at presentation [2]. Furthermore, as five-year survival data for head and neck cancer approaches two thirds [3], it should be at the forefront of the head and neck surgeons mind that one third of patients will require some form of palliative care. This essay will discuss the impact of the specialist palliative multi-disciplinary team (MDT) upon the head and neck cancer patient, briefly describing non-oncological palliative care treatment modalities and their application by various members of the palliative MDT
Authors and Affiliations
Andrew Rajkumar, Karl Payne, Alexander Goodson
Keywords
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- EP ID EP572295
- DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2017.01.000559
- Views 162
- Downloads 0
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