Publication
Title
Illness understanding in patients with advanced lung cancer: curse or blessing?
Author
Abstract
Early palliative care (EPC) should be introduced from the start of the treatment of patients with advanced lung cancer. Unfortunately, this is often not integrated in daily oncologic care. This letter wants to emphasize the importance of offering a holistic approach, meaning EPC to optimize quality of life (QoL). Illness understanding is important because patients with better understanding of their disease choose more often for symptom control and less for an aggressive treatment at the end of life. This illness understanding should be achieved during communication with the treating oncologist. Based on the limited available literature about illness understanding, it seems that an EPC program is necessary when breaking bad news, in order to maintain or improve QoL in patients.
Language
English
Source (journal)
ANNALS OF PALLIATIVE MEDICINE
Publication
Sheung wan : Ame publ co , 2016
DOI
10.21037/APM.2016.01.04
Volume/pages
5 :2 (2016) , p. 135-138
ISI
000387586300008
Pubmed ID
27121741
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 02.12.2016
Last edited 09.10.2023
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