Advanced biliary cancer management - Role of palliation - Empathy, Counselling, quality of life
Cancer management requires a multidisciplinary team approach and the same holds true for advanced biliary cancer management. This video focuses on a not very frequently discussed topic of palliation which predominantly aims at preserving the patient's quality of life and that is achieved through symptom control as well as through psychological interventions and education of masses and caretakers.
The video discusses the meaning or definition of advanced cancer in terms of interoperability and untreatability both. This is then followed by case-based definitions and criteria for advanced/inoperable biliary cancers. We then discussed the conventional palliative measures such as pain management, obstructive jaundice management, and intestinal obstruction management.
This discussion is then followed by an overview on the role of a palliative care doctor in terms of ensuring empathy and dignity of treatment, providing counselling support as well as educational resources to the patient and the family to ensure understanding and realistic expectations and to aid providing a continuum of care to these patients.
The video gives a nice overview on the role of palliation in cancer management and a focused review on the palliative options in advanced biliary cancers.