TERMINAL CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Accession number;04A0146754
Title;TERMINAL CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER
Author; YOKOSHIMA KAZUHIKO (Fac. Medicine, Nippon Medical School, JPN) NAKAMIZO MUNENAGA (Fac. Medicine, Nippon Medical School, JPN) KOKAWA TAKAYUKI (Fac. Medicine, Nippon Medical School, JPN) NAKAJIMA HIROSHI (Fac. Medicine, Nippon Medical School, JPN) YAJIMA HIRONORI (Fac. Medicine, Nippon Medical School, JPN)
Journal Title;Head and Neck Cancer
Journal Code:Y0503A
ISSN:0911-4335
VOL.28;NO.1;PAGE.160-163(2002)
Figure&Table&Reference;TBL.1, REF.6
Pub. Country;Japan
Language;Japanese
Abstract;Terminal care for the patients with head and neck cancer is very important, however, few studies have focused on it. This study shows the problems in terminal care of patients with head and neck cancer by analyzing the palliative treatment of 78 patients who died from head and neck cancer. The problems comprised insufficient disclosure of the terminal illness and little public and familial support. As a result of these circumstances, more terminal patients with head and neck cancer required hospitalization, meaning that it was not necessary for 28% of these patients to be hospitalized. Eighty-two percent of the patients were in the hospital for definitive treatment of cancer, not in a hospice. Furthermore, a longer period of hospitalization is required with an average period of 71 days. (author abst.)