| Theme |
Palliative Medicine for Patients with Gastrointestinal Cancer |
| Title |
Management of Nausea and Vomiting, and Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients |
| Author |
Shuichi Hironaka |
Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center |
| Author |
Narikazu Boku |
Division of Gastrointestinal Oncology and Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center |
| [ Summary ] |
The choice of therapy for nausea and vomiting may be directed at the causes or at the symptoms. Understanding the complex neural pathways that interact to produce these symptoms can more accurately target the cause. While successful treatment of nausea and vomiting more often comes from a precise diagnosis, empirical approaches have contributed much to this troubling and common symptom. In the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding, it is important to choose an adequate therapeutic modality according to the patient's life expectancy. For patients with life expectancies of 1 to 2 months, we should treat them the same as patients without cancer, consistent with the wishes of the patient regarding endoscopy, surgery, etc. For patients who's life expectancy is less than 2 months, we avoid surgery. For persistent gastrointestinal bleeding from unresectable tumors, we can treat them with radiation therapy. |