“Pain and Palliative Care” – A new pillar in Cancer treatment

In Oncology practice, there is a growing need to provide comprehensive care so that we can improve the quality of life of patients suffering with advanced stage metastatic cancer. Palliative care is the need of the hour and is a new supporting pillar for this comprehensive model of cancer treatment along with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Palliative care is a part of best practice in Oncology, as endorsed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), European Society for Medical Oncology, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and the Society for Surgical Oncology.1 In simple terms, we describe palliative care as:

P - Pain relief

A - Approach “multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary”

L - Living worthy life knowingly death is inevitable

L - Loyal and effective communication

I - Inspire allied specialties for early palliation of patient

A - Allay anxiety of patient and family

T - Trustworthy “doctor-patient” rapport

I - Identification of issues (physical, psychosocial, spiritual & emotional)

V - Vitality of body and positivity of mind

E - Enhance quality of life by early palliative care

Studies have shown that patients with advanced cancer receiving potentially curative therapy are likely to suffer from variety of symptoms (physical as well as psychological). Apart from pain treatment which is the foremost need of palliative care, patients as well as their families also need education/counseling for their spiritual, financial and family distress that occur as a result of the diagnosis of a devastating disease and a poor prognosis.2 To counter this distress, pain and palliative care treatment should be introduced at the earliest in the course of cancer management.

Evidence has shown that early pain and palliative care definitely improves the quality of life and increase functional capacity by reducing the sufferings of the patient due to better symptom control. We, at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre are happy to combine Pain and Palliative/Supportive care along with the Oncology units to have a better outcome in terms of overall patient care in cancer treatment.

References :

• 1) Smith TJ, Temin S, Alesi E, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology Provisional Clinical Opinion: the integration of palliative care into standard oncology care. J Clin Oncol. 2012;30:880–87.


• 2) Bruera E, Yennurajalingam S. Palliative care in advanced cancer patients: how and when? Oncologist. 2012;17(2):267-73.