Enhancing Quality of Life for Cancer Patients Through Innovations in Palliative Care

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56294/hl2025607

Keywords:

Palliative care, Cancer management, Quality of life, Pain management, Telemedicine, Psychological support

Abstract

Cancer is still one of the main reasons people die around the world, and millions of people are dealing with both the sickness and the heavy physical, social, and mental effects that come with it. Survival rates for people with cancer have gone up thanks to progress in treatment, but the quality of life for many patients, especially those in the later stages of the disease, is still a major worry. Palliative care has become an important part of cancer treatment because it helps with all of a patient's complaints, makes them more comfortable, and supports their general health. This essay looks at new ideas in hospice care that are meant to improve the quality of life for cancer patients. It focuses on individual care models, new treatments, and improvements in collaborative care methods. Recent improvements in hospice care have made patient-centered care, which considers each person's tastes, cultural background, and unique needs, even more important. The most important thing that has changed hospice care is the use of technology, especially telemedicine, mobile health apps, and artificial intelligence. These tools make it easier to keep an eye on patients' conditions all the time, talk to their doctors in real time, and handle their care more efficiently. They also allow for individual care plans that adapt to the changing needs of cancer patients. An important part of hospice care is pain management, which has also come a long way. New drug choices, like focused treatments and less invasive delivery methods, have helped to improve pain control. Adding alternative therapies like acupuncture, massage therapy, and music therapy to standard treatments has also been shown to help with complaints like nausea, tiredness, and worry, giving patients a more complete treatment plan. This essay also talks about the value of psychological support and the problems that cancer patients and their families face with their emotional and mental health. Cognitive-behavioural treatment, mindfulness, and coaching are some mental health therapies that have been shown to lower anxiety and improve general emotional well-being.

References

[1] Jabbarian, L.J.; Zwakman, M.; Van Der Heide, A.; Kars, M.C.; Janssen, D.J.A.; Van Delden, J.J.; Rietjens, J.A.C.; Korfage, I.J. Advance care planning for patients with chronic respiratory diseases: A systematic review of preferences and practices. Thorax 2018, 73, 222–230.

[2] Zwakman, M.; Jabbarian, L.; van Delden, J.; van der Heide, A.; Korfage, I.; Pollock, K.; Rietjens, J.; Seymour, J.; Kars, M. Advance care planning: A systematic review about experiences of patients with a life-threatening or life-limiting illness. Palliat. Med. 2018, 32, 1305–1321.

[3] Lin, C.-P.; Evans, C.J.; Koffman, J.; Armes, J.; Murtagh, F.E.M.; Harding, R. The conceptual models and mechanisms of action that underpin advance care planning for cancer patients: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Palliat. Med. 2019, 33, 5–23.

[4] Korfage, I.J.; Carreras, G.; Christensen, C.M.A.; Billekens, P.; Bramley, L.; Briggs, L.; Bulli, F.; Caswell, G.; Červ, B.; Van Delden, J.J.M.; et al. Advance care planning in patients with advanced cancer: A 6-country, cluster-randomised clinical trial. PLoS Med. 2020, 17, e1003422.

[5] Bercow, A.S.; Nitecki, R.; Haber, H.; Gockley, A.A.; Hinchcliff, E.; James, K.; Melamed, A.; Diver, E.; Kamdar, M.M.; Feldman, S.; et al. Palliative care referral patterns and measures of aggressive care at the end of life in patients with cervical cancer. Int. J. Gynecol. Cancer 2021, 31, 66–72.

[6] Corli, O.; Pellegrini, G.; Bosetti, C.; Riva, L.; Crippa, M.; Amodio, E.; Scaccabarozzi, G. Impact of Palliative Care in Evaluating and Relieving Symptoms in Patients with Advanced Cancer. Results from the DEMETRA Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8429.

[7] Seow, H.; Sussman, J.; Martelli-Reid, L.; Pond, G.; Bainbridge, D. Do High Symptom Scores Trigger Clinical Actions? An Audit After Implementing Electronic Symptom Screening. J. Oncol. Pract. 2012, 8, e142–e148.

[8] Hui, D.; Park, M.; Shamieh, O.; Paiva, C.E.; Perez-Cruz, P.E.; Muckaden, M.A.; Bruera, E. Personalized symptom goals and response in patients with advanced cancer. Cancer 2016, 122, 1774–1781.

[9] Mah, K.; Swami, N.; O’Connor, B.; Hannon, B.; Rodin, G.; Zimmermann, C. Early palliative intervention: Effects on patient care satisfaction in advanced cancer. BMJ Support. Palliat. Care 2022, 12, 218–225.

[10] Kim, C.A.; Lelond, S.; Daeninck, P.J.; Rabbani, R.; Lix, L.; McClement, S.; Chochinov, H.M.; Goldenberg, B.A. The impact of early palliative care on the quality of life of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: The IMPERATIVE case-crossover study. Support. Care Cancer 2023, 31, 250.

[11] Bajwah, S.; Oluyase, A.O.; Yi, D.; Gao, W.; Evans, C.J.; Grande, G.; Todd, C.; Costantini, M.; Murtagh, F.E.; Higginson, I.J. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of hospital-based specialist palliative care for adults with advanced illness and their caregivers. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2020, 2020, CD012780.

[12] Hall, A.; Bryant, J.; Sanson-Fisher, R.; Grady, A.; Proietto, A.; Doran, C.M. Top Priorities for Health Service Improvements Among Australian Oncology Patients. Patient Relat. Outcome Meas. 2021, 12, 83–95.

[13] Betke, K.; Basińska, M.A.; Andruszkiewicz, A. Sense of Coherence and Strategies for Coping with Stress among Nurses. BMC Nurs. 2021, 20, 107.

[14] Stanisławski, K. The Coping Circumplex Model: An Integrative Model of the Structure of Coping with Stress. Front. Psychol. 2019, 10, 694.

[15] Fernandes, T.; Aarthi, R.; Bohra, S. Cognitive Emotional Regulation: In the Context of Breast Cancer. Int. J. Indian. Psychol. 2015, 2, 14–25.

[16] Cooley, M.E. Symptoms in Adults with Lung Cancer. J. Pain Symptom Manag. 2000, 19, 137–153.

[17] Radhakrishnan, R.; Selvaraj, H.; Chidambaram, K.; Kv, A.; James, A.; Thangavel, S. Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety Disorders Among Cancer Patients: An Insight From a Single Institute. Cureus 2023, 15, e42831. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]

[18] Maiko, S.; Johns, S.A.; Helft, P.R.; Slaven, J.E.; Cottingham, A.H.; Torke, A.M. Spiritual Experiences of Adults with Advanced Cancer in Outpatient Clinical Settings. J. Pain Symptom Manag. 2019, 57, 576–586.e1.

[19] Rha, S.Y.; Song, S.K.; Lee, J. Self-Efficacy for Coping with Cancer and Quality of Life in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients. Eur. J. Oncol. Nurs. 2022, 58, 102120.

[20] Mohammadipour, M.; Pidad, F. Coping Strategies, Locus of Control, and Quality of Life in Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer. J. Psychol. 2021, 155, 375–386.

[21] Guan, T.; Santacroce, S.J.; Chen, D.; Song, L. Illness Uncertainty, Coping, and Quality of Life among Patients with Prostate Cancer. Psycho-Oncology 2020, 29, 1019–1025.

[22] Pan, C.-J.; Liu, H.-C.; Liang, S.-Y.; Liu, C.-Y.; Wu, W.-W.; Cheng, S.-F. Resilience and Coping Strategies Influencing the Quality of Life in Patients with Brain Tumor. Clin. Nurs. Res. 2019, 28, 107–124.

[23] Macía, P.; Barranco, M.; Gorbeña, S.; Iraurgi, I. Expression of Resilience, Coping and Quality of Life in People with Cancer. PLoS ONE 2020, 15, e0236572.

Downloads

Published

2025-05-20

How to Cite

1.
Madhavan S, Shukla A, Srinath G, Bhushan B, Gupta A, R S. Enhancing Quality of Life for Cancer Patients Through Innovations in Palliative Care. Health Leadership and Quality of Life [Internet]. 2025 May 20 [cited 2025 Jun. 24];4:607. Available from: https://hl.ageditor.ar/index.php/hl/article/view/607