Palliative care for patients with esophageal cancer: a narrative review.

Approximately 18,000 patients annually in the United States are diagnosed with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. These patients have numerous and complex symptoms, including pain, dysphagia, malnutrition and psychological symptoms due to location of the tumor and required treatments, and patients benefit from a comprehensive approach to care to effectively support their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Palliative care is a medical subspecialty that focuses on providing comprehensive care for patients with any kind of advanced or serious illness to allow them to live well and fully for as long as possible in the face of that illness. In recent years, palliative care has become more widely available to patients with esophageal cancer and this is beneficial for patients with esophageal cancer given the severity of symptoms and complexities of needs. Primary oncology providers should provide basic palliative care including symptom management and clear communication, and palliative care specialists can provide additional support to extend the care of the primary clinician and treat the advanced and complex physical and psychological symptoms, as well as engaging in advance care planning. This paper outlines the key components of high-quality palliative care, including advanced care planning, symptom management and psychosocial support.

Management of Grief, Depression, and Suicidal Thoughts in Serious Illness.

The varied physical, social, and psychological stressors that accompany advanced disease can be burdensome and cause intense emotional suffering, hindering the ability of patients and families to cope in day-to-day life and negatively affecting quality of life. This article addresses key concepts for the assessment and management of commonly encountered types of psychological distress in serious illness including grief, prolonged grief, major depressive disorder, death contemplation, and suicidal ideation.

Palliative Care in Heart Failure: What Triggers Specialist Consultation?

Heart failure (HF) continues to cause substantial death and suffering despite the availability of numerous medical, surgical, and technological therapeutic advancements. As a patient-centered holistic discipline focused on improving quality of life and decreasing anguish, palliative care (PC) has a crucial role in the care of HF patients that has been acknowledged by multiple international guidelines. PC can be provided by all members of the HF care team, including but not limited to practitioners with specialty PC training. Unfortunately, despite recommendations to routinely include PC techniques and providers in the care of HF patients, use of general PC strategies as well as expert PC consultation is limited by a dearth of evidence-based interventions in the HF population and knowledge as to when to initiate these interventions, uncertainty regarding patient desires, prognosis, and the respective roles of each member of the care team, and a general shortage of specialist PC providers. This review seeks to provide guidance as to when to employ the limited resource of specialist PC practitioners, in combination with services from other members of the care team, to best tend to HF patients as their disease progresses and eventually overcomes.

Efficacy and safety of tunneled pleural catheters in adults with malignant pleural effusions: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural effusions (MPE) are a frequent cause of dyspnea and discomfort at the end of cancer patients' lives. The tunneled indwelling pleural catheter (TIPC) was approved by the FDA in 1997 and has been investigated as a treatment for MPE. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review published data on the efficacy and safety of the TIPC for treatment of MPE. DESIGN: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science databases to identify studies published through October 2009 that reported outcomes in adult patients with MPE treated with a TIPC. Data were aggregated using summary statistics when outcomes were described in the same way among multiple primary studies. MAIN MEASURES: Symptomatic improvement and complications associated with use of the TIPC. KEY RESULTS: Nineteen studies with a total of 1,370 patients met criteria for inclusion in the review. Only one randomized study directly compared the TIPC with the current gold standard treatment, pleurodesis. All other studies were case series. Symptomatic improvement was reported in 628/657 patients (95.6%). Quality of life measurements were infrequently reported. Spontaneous pleurodesis occurred in 430/943 patients (45.6%). Serious complications were rare and included empyema in 33/1168 patients (2.8%), pneumothorax requiring a chest tube in 3/51 (5.9%), and unspecified pneumothorax in 17/439 (3.9%). Minor complications included cellulitis in 32/935 (3.4%), obstruction/clogging in 33/895 (3.7%) and unspecified malfunction of the catheter in 11/121 (9.1%). The use of the TIPC was without complication in 517/591 patients (87.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Based on low-quality evidence in the form of case series, the TIPC may improve symptoms for patients with MPE and does not appear to be associated with major complications. Prospective randomized studies comparing the TIPC to pleurodesis are needed before the TIPC can be definitively recommended as a first-line treatment of MPE.