Palliative Care for Cancer

List of Most Common Cancers in Palliative Care

Palliative care programs were initially started to palliate the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation used to treat it. A large percentage of patients treated in palliative care programs nationwide are still cancer patients. <p>The benefits of palliative care on cancer treatment are significant. Palliative care addresses distressing symptoms that result from the cancer itself and the treatments used to slow it's progression or cure it.

Even the treatments used to cure cancer can be considered palliative. Chemotherapy and radiation can reduce tumor size and thereby reduce symptoms of disease. Doctors will sometimes recommend chemotherapy and/or radiation intended to increase comfort and decrease symptoms of disease, termed palliative chemotherapy or palliative radiation. This type of palliative treatment is not intended to cure the cancer, rather to improve quality of life.

Examples of reasons to seek palliative chemotherapy or radiation include:

• A brain tumor causing severe headaches or confusion.
• Liver cancer causing severe abdominal pain, nausea, and/or confusion.
• Lung tumors causing severe shortness of breath or pain.
• Pancreatic cancer causing severe pain.

Other cancers that may benefit from palliative care include but are certainly not limited to:

• Blood Cancers:
  • Leukemia –There are several types of leukemia including Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), and Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).
  • Lymphoma – Types of Lymphoma include Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and B-Cell Lymphoma.
• Neurological Cancers:
  • Brain tumors
  • Spinal cord cancer
  • Pituitary gland cancer
• Breast cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancers:
  • Colon cancer
  • Bile duct cancer
  • Gastric cancer
  • Gallbladder cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Rectal cancer
• Genitourinary Cancers:
  • Adrenal cancer
  • Bladder cancer
  • Kidney cancer
  • Prostate cancer
  • Penile cancer
  • Testicular cancer
• Gynecological Cancers:
  • Cervical cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Uterine cancer
  • Vaginal wall cancer
  • Fallopian tube cancer
  • Endometrial cancer
  • Vulvar cancer
• Head and Neck Cancers:
  • Oral cancer
  • Laryngeal cancer
  • Pharyngeal cancer
  • Thyroid cancer
• Musculoskeletal and Soft Tissue Cancers:
  • Bone cancer and Osteosarcoma
  • Skin cancer – Types of skin cancer include Basal Cell Carcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma
  • Melanoma
  • Sarcoma – Types include Ewing’s Sarcoma and Kaposis Sarcoma
• Respiratory/Lung Cancers:
  • Lung Cancer – Types of lung cancer include Oat Cell, Adenocarcinoma, Small Cell, Non-Small Cell, and Squamous Cell.
  • Mesothelioma

  Palliative treatment can look very different depending on the type of cancer. Symptoms can be variable, even in two patients with the same cancer. Palliative treatment focuses on symptoms as they arise, regardless of the type of cancer.