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\"A ... memoir about how the essential parts of one young woman's early life--her mother's work as a surgeon and her spiritual practice--led her to become a doctor and to question the premise that medicine exists to prolong life at all costs.\"-- Provided by publisher.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) frequently result in cutaneous immune-related adverse events (IrAEs). Although the majority of these events are mild-to-moderate in severity, up to 5% are severe, which may lead to morbidity and dose interruption or discontinuation of ICI therapy. In addition, up to 25% of dermatologic IrAEs are corticosteroid-refractory or corticosteroid-dependent. These 2020 MASCC recommendations cover the diagnosis and management of cutaneous IrAEs with a focus on moderate-to-severe and corticosteroid-resistant events. Although the usage of immune-suppressive therapy has been advocated in this setting, there is a lack of randomized clinical trial data to provide a compelling level of evidence of its therapeutic benefit.

Background Palliative care, perhaps more than any subspecialty in healthcare, is deeply relational and engages patients and families at times of great vulnerability. Ethics of care, or relational ethics, developed through contributions from feminist ethics, offers conceptual tools and ways of thinking that seem especially suited to palliative care practice. Aim To identify and describe studies and theoretical analyses applying the ethics of care to palliative care (both adult and paediatric), specifically, its use to guide and improve practice and education for palliative care practitioners. Design We conducted a scoping review of six databases covering clinical, social science and normative ethics scholarship and conducted a thematic analysis of the findings and ethical discussions or arguments. Data sources Databases searched included PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Web of Science and Philosopher’s Index from 1982 to November 2024. Results 30 publications meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. Major themes reflected the relational obligations, attributes and character traits ideally developed in palliative care providers in their work and relationships with patients and families, including responsiveness, connectedness and hope, as well as in caring for ourselves and each other on palliative care teams. An emerging literature recognises the special guidance for palliative care for children. Conclusions Clinical and ethical scholarship in palliative care reveals a valuable but still underexplored connection between the ethical commitments within the ethics of care tradition and palliative care training and practice. Ethics of care addresses important gaps in training, particularly having to do with practitioners’ relationships and ways of being with patients, families, colleagues and themselves.

Purpose of this ReviewThe purpose of this review is to describe the evolution of palliative care in paediatric oncology, the needs of children and their families in a paediatric oncology setting, palliative care referral practices in paediatric oncology, outcomes of palliative care referral in paediatric oncology and models of palliative care in paediatric oncology.Recent FindingsCancer constitutes 5.2% of the palliative care needs in children. Approximately, 90% of children with cancer lives in low and middle-income countries, constituting 84% of the global burden of childhood cancers. Children in low and middle-income countries have low cure rates and high death rates making palliative care relevant in a paediatric oncology setting. Children with cancer experience pain and physical symptoms, low mood, anxiety, and fear. They feel less resilient, experience low self-worth, and have challenges coping with the illness. The families lead very stressful lives, navigating the hospital environment, and dealing with uncertainties of the future. Palliative care referral in children with cancer improves physical symptoms, emotional support, and quality of life. It enables communication between families and health care providers. It improves end-of-life care support to children and their families and facilitates less invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions at the end of life. Worldwide children with cancer are infrequently referred to palliative care and referred late in the illness trajectory. Most of the children referred to palliative care receive some form of cancer-directed therapy in their last days. Children in low and low-middle income countries are less likely to access palliative care due to a lack of awareness amongst paediatric oncologists about palliative care and the reduced number of services providing palliative care. A three-tier model is proposed to provide palliative care in paediatric oncology, where most children with palliative care needs are managed by paediatric oncologists and a smaller number with complex physical and psychosocial needs are managed by paediatric palliative care specialists. There are several palliative care models in paediatric oncology practised globally. However, no one model was considered better or superior, and the choice of model depended on the need, preferences identified, and available resources.SummaryChildren with cancer are sparingly referred to palliative care and referred late and oncologists and haematologists gatekeep the referral process. Knowledge on palliative care referral in paediatric oncology settings might enhance collaboration between paediatric oncology and paediatric palliative care.

Purpose of the ReviewThe integration of cancer-related palliative care is essential to holistic, quality cancer care. While some similarities exist between countries, this manuscript will focus on five differences that impact palliative care for cancer patients including the epidemiology of cancer and related symptoms, cancer-specific integration into care, palliative care education, economic development of the country, and cultural and religious differences.Recent FindingsThe epidemiology of cancer varies around the world resulting in variable symptoms and the need for individualized approaches to palliative care. While palliative care is integrated in some countries, it is lacking in over half of the world, and specific integration into cancer care is virtually absent. Education and training are the key to expansion, and yet oncology-focused palliative care education is lacking or is not well-reported in the literature. To complicate this global lens even further are the economic disparities that exist. Low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) are resource poor and have the fewest resources and least amount of integration, and yet patients with advanced cancer are over-represented in these countries. Essential to cancer-related palliative care is a tailored approach that addresses cultural and religious differences around the globe.SummaryPalliative care is developing around the globe and yet palliative care specific for cancer patients is in its infancy. Cancer care professionals should (1) understand the epidemiologic differences that exist globally and the impact this has on palliative care, (2) integrate palliative care into the cancer care arena, (3) provide cancer-specific palliative education focused on the cancer trajectory from diagnosis through survivorship and end of life, (4) advocate for LMICs, which suffer from a lack of resources and services, and (5) understand cultural and religious differences that exist to provide holistic and sensitive cancer-related palliative care.

Purpose of ReviewThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the evidence on the effects of psychosocial interventions on pain in advanced cancer patients.Recent FindingsThe included studies investigated the effects of relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy, music therapy, mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions, and supportive-expressive group therapy. Overall, we found a small, but significant effect on pain intensity (d = − 0.29, CI = − 0.54 to − 0.05). Effect sizes were highly heterogeneous between studies. We did not find evidence for the superiority of any of the intervention types. However, psychosocial interventions may be more effective if they specifically targeted pain distress as the primary outcome.SummaryAlthough findings were mixed, psychosocial interventions can be recommended to complement comprehensive care to alleviate pain in patients facing an advanced or terminal stage of the disease. Future research should develop innovative interventions tailored specifically for pain relief.

Purpose of ReviewThis review was undertaken to analyze the main reasons behind the limited development of hospice care in China, and to put forward some suggestions.Recent FindingsAlthough the Chinese government has increased its support for hospice care in recent years, however, owing to the lack of education around hospice care and the heavy influence of the traditional Chinese Confucian concept of “filial piety,” many individuals resist hospice care. Moreover, due to impaired patient rights, inadequate composition of hospice care teams, unbalanced geographical distribution, and limited service range, the development of hospice care in China is hindered.SummaryHospice care education and continued training should be popularized and the government should strengthen the legal structure of the medical system to protect the rights of patients, families, and medical staff to promoting social support for hospice care. Through graded diagnosis and referral systems in medical institutions to integrate medical resources and expand the range of hospice care services.

Background Palliative Care (PC) provides person-centred care for patients with life-limiting diseases and their families. Studies have shown that healthcare professionals delivering PC are predisposed to moral distress and burnout due to constant exposure to death and dying and aspects of the hidden curriculum (HC) through which culture and values are transmitted implicitly. However, there are limited studies focusing on the latter through the lens of junior doctors. Using the Ring Theory of Personhood (RToP) and the Krishna-Pisupati Model (KPM), which categorize and map conflicts between personal and professional values, beliefs, and principles within the four domains of personhood, this study investigates the impact of palliative care experiences on the risk of burnout in junior doctors. Methods This qualitative exploratory study was conducted at the Division of Supportive and Palliative Care in the National Cancer Centre Singapore, involving medical residents who had completed at least one month with the division between 2020 and 2022. 13 participants were recruited for individual semi-structured interviews carried out by an independent research assistant. Acknowledging HC and burnout as sociocultural constructs, we adopted a constructivist ontological position and a relativist epistemological lens to guide thematic analysis of the data. Results The themes identified were: (1) The Nature of PC (2), Moral Distress, and (3) Impact of Environment on Wellbeing. Junior doctors saw the value of the philosophy of care in PC and felt compelled to adopt values espoused by the discipline. However, compounded by consistent exposure to death and dying and limitations to manpower and time, elements of the HC, such as staff support measures, proved to be significant stressors—contributing to burnout and moral distress. Conclusion This is the first study on the effects of the HC on burnout for junior doctors in a PC rotation. It provides unique insights into the impact of complex clinical, personal, social, ethical and organizational factors on burnout and suggests that all factors need to be addressed in tandem for any attempts at staff support to be successful. This study can guide current and future research and programs that support wellbeing for junior doctors.

This is a revised and expanded edition of a classic in palliative medicine, originally published in 1991, with three added chapters and a new preface summarizing our progress in the area of pain management. The obligation of physicians to relieve human suffering stretches back into antiquity. But what exactly, is suffering? One patient with cancer of the stomach, from which he knew he would shortly die, said he was not suffering. Another, someone who had been operated on for a minor problem—in little pain and not seemingly distressed—said that even coming into the hospital had been a source of pain and suffering. With such varied responses to the problem of suffering, inevitable questions arise. Is it the doctor's responsibility to treat the disease or the patient? And what is the relationship between suffering and the goals of medicine? According to the author of this book, these are crucial questions, but ones that have unfortunately remained only queries void of adequate solutions. It is time for the sick person, the author believes, to be not merely an important concern for physicians but the central focus of medicine. With this in mind, he argues for an understanding of what changes should be made in order to successfully treat the sick while alleviating suffering, and how to actually go about making these changes with the methods and training techniques firmly rooted in the doctor's relationship with the patient.

The initiation, continuance or discontinuance of clinically assisted hydration and nutrition are some of the most challenging decisions in patients near the end of life. This article reviews the limited evidence to support or otherwise these medical treatments, and provides an overview of relevant clinical practice guidance. Essentially, decisions need to be individualised, and importantly regularly reviewed to ensure that the objectives of treatment are being achieved.