A Palliative Care Options conference will be hosted in San Diego, California, on Tuesday the 8th of December, next week at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center. The convention will discuss supportive care options for patients of mesothelioma. Supportive care, or palliative care, refers to treatments and practices for decreasing pain and improving comfort in patients that are afflicted with fatal diseases.
Mesothelioma affects between 2,000 and 3,000 people each year in the United States, comprising a substantial 3% of total cancer diagnoses in the country. The deadly cancer is caused by exposure to asbestos and asbestos fibers. It is a very aggressive, incurable cancer that occurs most commonly in the chest or abdominal cavities after the patient either inhales or ingests the dangerous substance. The disease can take several decades to occur after exposure to asbestos fibers, which contributes to the fact that it is exceedingly difficult to diagnose. Also contributing to the difficult diagnosis are the disease’s generic, flu like symptoms. Due to the aggressiveness of the cancer and the long amount of time it normally takes for a correct diagnosis, patients who learn that they have mesothelioma are often told they can expect to live only 6 to 18 months from their diagnosis. Mesothelioma’s very poor prognosis directly contributes to the value of supportive or palliative care options, which work to alleviate the patient’s discomfort and improve the time they have left to spend with their family and loved ones.
The Palliative Care Options conference will be conducted by a Dr. Charles F. von Gunten, an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Institute of Palliative Medicine in San Diego, California. Dr. von Gunten is among the nation’s leading experts in supportive care and aims to ensure that doctors, patients and families of patients are thoroughly informed about their options in when it comes to mesothelioma treatment. The doctor is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, a renowned investigator of the National Cancer Institute, and the former President of the American Association for Cancer Education.
A thorough understanding of mesothelioma, likely treatment scenarios for the disease, and the role that supportive or palliative care can play can be incredibly important to both mesothelioma patients and their families alike. Often, an oncologist’s unrelenting determination to destroy or remove the cancer effectively can come at the cost of a reduced quality of life for the patient due to invasive and traumatic treatments. Palliative care aims to keep the patient’s best interests in mind in terms of both the quantity and the quality of their life. These options often promote treatments that will encourage a better overall experience for mesothelioma patients and their families. Depending on the circumstance, palliative care can be comprised of treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgeries to improve the patients ability to breath easily or to halt painful fluid buildup. Less intensive treatments such as meditation, dietary changes, acupuncture, massage and hypnosis may also be recommended to improve the patient’s comfort level.
During the conference next Tuesday, Dr. von Gunten will promote supportive care techniques to doctors, patients and their families that will improve the quality of their life and their overall treatment experience.
