[Indicators of structural quality in palliative care for cancer pain patients in Lower-Saxony]. / Palliativmedizinische Betreuung von Tumorschmerzpatienten in Niedersachsen Indikatoren der Strukturqualität.

INTRODUCTION: Palliative care in Germany fails to reach established standards. To improve this situation the Chamber of Physicians of Lower-Saxony initiated SUPPORT in 1995. Prior to interventions structural quality of care was evaluated, specifically the rate of availability of opioid-prescription-forms and the ability to treat chronic pain (defined as a construct of knowledge, attitudes and skills) were examined. METHODS: The survey was carried out using a standardized questionnaire mailed to a representative stratified sample of 1200 physicians. RESULTS: Out of 865 answering physicians (response rate 72.1%) only 36.9% had their own opioid-prescription-forms. Differentiations regarding to specialty, working place (clinic vs. private practice) and treatment of cancer pain patients during the last three months shows a better result for GPs (84.6%), internists (48.6%), gynecologists (51%) and pain specialists (66.7%). Only 33.1% of respondents claimed knowledge of the WHO-3-step-analgesic-ladder. Again the aforementioned differentiations yield somewhat better results for GPs (49.2%), internists (51.5%), gynecologists (34.7%) and pain specialists (55.6%), however only two thirds of these physicians were able to identify the correct number of steps of the WHO-algorithm. CONCLUSIONS: These results verify an insufficient structural quality in palliative care in Lower-Saxony. In the authors' opinion effective improvements can only be achieved by implementing a parallel strategy:improvement of basic knowledge in pain management with sufficient transfer of this knowledge into practice as well as raising the rate of availability of opioid-prescription-forms,and, on the other hand, establishing local palliative-care-teams with nursing and medical expertise with 24/7 on-demand availability to optimize palliative care.

[Improvement of palliative outpatient treatment of terminally ill cancer patients - SUPPORT as example - The ethically preferable alternative to euthanasia]. / Optimierung der ambulanten palliativmedizinischen Betreuung terminal kranker Tumorpatienten am Beispiel SUPPORT - ethisch zu präferierende nach aktiver Sterbehilfe.

INTRODUCTION: Industrial countries are experiencing substantial increases in cancer prevalence. While advanced cancer therapies resulted in prolonged survival most neoplasms still are incurable. Especially advanced stages of cancer are often accompanied by severe pain and other disabling symptoms. Sufficient pain and symptom control is needed to maintain a decent quality of life for cancer patients. However, expert palliative care for patients suffering from cancer pain is still insufficient. These deficits have encouraged pro-euthanasia pressure groups demanding legitimation of physician-assisted-suicide in Germany. Acting under the guise of promoting patient's autonomy these groups are gaining additional momentum from similar legislation passed in the Netherlands. METHODS: Hospice movement and specialists in palliative medicine reject euthanasia as unethical and instead push for the global development of palliative care services. To address these issues the project SUPPORT was established in the Southern part of Lower-Saxony in 1996 with approval by the local ethics committee and sponsored by the German Ministry of Health. A palliative-care-team (PCT) of nurses and physicians with expert knowledge in palliative medicine supports patients after discharge from hospital by providing state-of-the-art palliative care at home. The PCT is available as a 24/7 standby service and can be called on demand by general practitioners, members of outpatient nursing services as well as by patients and their relatives. By cooperating with the PCT these professional and lay caregivers improve their knowledge and skills regarding pain and symptom control for terminally ill patients. RESULTS: During almost 4 years of practical work more than 50 % of the patients enrolled in the project died at home compared to about 20 % under regular conditions. These data point out quite impressively that due to the PCT-interventions recurrent hospitalisations in a majority of cancer pain patients can be avoided when expert knowledge and help is available at home for patients, their relatives and caregivers whenever needed. CONCLUSION: When sufficiently supported at home by palliative experts the number of patients dying at home is reasonably higher than the rate observed under regular conditions. This would also comply with the wishes of most patients who prefer to die in the privacy of their own home. The project data suggest that the concept of SUPPORT should be capable to improve the current state of palliative medicine in other areas of Germany as well.

[Basics of drug therapy of cancer pain]. / Grundlagen der medikamentösen Tumorschmerztherapie.

Industrial countries experience a significant increase of cancer prevalence. Despite recent advances in the treatment of various types of cancer still most of the patients cannot be cured. Especially the advanced incurable stages of cancer, however, often are accompanied by severe pain. Therefore, the high demand for a sufficient pain management and symptom control seems obvious. Throughout the last decades new drugs and techniques for the management of cancer pain have been developed. Most cancer patients should experience sufficient pain-management if existing recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of cancer pain (e.g. WHO-guidelines) are followed consequently. If, nevertheless, intractable pain or ongoing disabling symptoms continue despite proper therapy, every doctor should feel himself obliged to consult an expert in palliative medicine, in order not to tolerate avoidable suffering of his patient.

[Pain therapy in tumor patients and in palliative medicine. 1: Drug therapy]. / Schmerztherapie bei Tumorpatienten und in der Palliativmedizin. Teil 1: Medikamentöse Massnahmen.

Like other industrial countries Germany experiences a significant increase of cancer prevalence. Recent advances in the treatment of various types of cancer resulted in prolonged survivaltimes of patients. Cancer--especially in advanced incurable stages--often is accompanied by severe pain. Therefore, the need for sufficient pain management and symptomcontrol is obvious. Throughout the last decades new drugs and techniques for the management of cancer-pain have been developed. Most cancer-patients should experience sufficient pain-management if existing recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of cancer-pain (e.g. WHO-guidelines) are followed consequently. In case of intractable pain or ongoing disabling symptoms despite proper therapy consultation of an expert in palliative medicine should always be considered as well as the option to refer the patient to a specialized pain-management center.

[Pain therapy in tumor patients and in palliative medicine. 2: Invasive measures]. / Schmerztherapie bei Tumorpatienten und in der Palliativmedizin. Teil 2: Invasive Verfahren.

Anesthesiological and neurosurgical methods in the treatment of cancer pain have to be considered as parts of a holistic approach. To treat cancer pain patients appropriately, an interdisciplinary setting is essential. In the eyes of experienced pain specialists as well as physicians in palliative medicine invasive procedures are only of minor importance. Their use has been steadily decreasing while neuromodulatory (e.g. intraspinal opioids) or stimulatory (e.g. TENS, DBS, SCS) methods gained wider acceptance. The only neurolytic procedure which still has some importance is the neurolysis of the celiac ganglion for alleviation of pain in the upper abdomen mostly due to pancreatic cancer. This approach seems to be highly effective and tends to be afflicted with only minor complications. Other neurolytic blocks have shown solely local and temporal efficacy. In their majority they are unprecise and often accompanied by severe complications. Therefore these procedures should be scheduled only after carefully weighing risk versus benefit. Where suitable, the use of neurolytics is replaced by radiofrequency thermocoagulation, to a lesser degree by cryoanalgesia. Both procedures normally do not yield better analgesia but do result in fewer complications. Physicians tend to treat pain as a completely somatic disorder, but chronic pain states are always bio-psycho-social in nature. In order to achieve an effective pain treatment all influencing variables have to be taken into account. Anesthesiological and neurosurgical procedures are only a part of the possible and necessary treatment options. Especially before using one of the invasive methods described here, it seems imperative to involve the patient in the process of decision making more closely than currently practiced.