진행성 암환자에서 완화적 항암치료 중단 시점의 결정에 대한 증례보고와 문헌고찰 (Korean)

Cases and Literature Review of Timing for Withdrawal of Palliative Chemotherapy. (English)

Advanced incurable cancer patients receive palliative chemotherapy to prolong their life and improve quality of life. However, physicians should assess the timing to discontinue the treatment, especially near the final months of life, as palliative chemotherapy may accompany considerable toxicity. Even though there are no clear guidelines regarding the withdrawal timing for anticancer treatment in palliative setting, it is important clarify the issue for quality of care for advanced cancer patients. Here, we present two patients who received palliative chemotherapy for advanced colon cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, respectively. In both cases, it was jointly determined to stop palliative chemotherapy, and best efforts are made to relieve troublesome symptoms. The cases and upto-date literature review will highlight the importance of the timing of discontinuation of cancer treatments when changes are being made to the health care system and hospice and palliative medicine is taking root in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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