Palliative care in kidney cancer more than just relieving symptoms

Palliative care in kidney cancer more than just relieving symptoms 
Cure; by Ashley Chan; 9/26/24 
Patients with kidney cancer who want more support during treatment can consider palliative care, whether it’s for symptoms or discussing goals and values. ... For patients with kidney cancer, understanding how palliative care can help is essential throughout the treatment process. Palliative care, according to the Mayo Clinic, is medical care that specializes in relieving pain and symptoms associated with an illness. This type of care can also help patients cope with treatment-related side effects. However, there’s more to palliative care than just relieving symptoms. It also “aims to help patients and families in one of three major categories,” Dr. Pallavi Kumar explained during an interview with CURE®. Kumar is the director of Oncology Palliative Care and assistant professor of Clinical Medicine in the hematology-oncology division at the University of Pennsylvania. She noted that the three categories of palliative care include:

• Complex symptom management, such as pain, nausea or fatigue
• Palliative care support via counseling or coping support from social workers
• Planning for the future to best provide for patients’ goals and values