Palliative and Supportive Care
Overview
Palliative and supportive care aims to improve the quality of life of patients and their relatives. Palliative care is understood to include the prevention and alleviation of symptoms and suffering of patients with life-threatening diseases and their relatives. It addresses physical, functional, psychosocial, as well as existential problems. When the underlying disease is still responsive to specific therapy, supportive care will be given to enhance the patient’s quality of life by (symptomatic) treatment of concurrent disease- or therapy-induced complications. Palliative and supportive care is complex, because, in general, patients experience several physical and psychosocial problems simultaneously, pain and fatigue occurring most frequently. Available treatment strategies often have disappointing clinical effects or scientific evaluations of the effects are lacking. Research to develop evidence-based strategies in palliative care therefore is rather needed.
The research programme on palliative and supportive care of our department aims to generate scientific evidence to improve symptom control and quality of life in cancer patients. Research focuses on the care for the dying and the management of symptoms, in particular pain and fatigue. The research on palliative care is embedded in the Center of Expertise in Palliative Care of the Erasmus MC. Several departments, Medical Oncology, Public Health, Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Pediatric Oncology and the Pain Treatment and Expertise Centers collaborate in the Center of Expertise in Palliative Care, thereby stimulating partnerships in several research projects.
Research topics:
- Care for the dying (PI: Lia van Zuylen, M.D. Ph.D.)
- Symptom management (PI: Carin van der Rijt, M.D. Ph.D.)