How Palliative Care Can Help with Prostate Cancer
Getting a prostate cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming and scary, but you don’t have to face it alone. Palliative care can help you by managing symptoms, reducing stress, and improving your quality of life every step of the way.
Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, like prostate cancer. This type of care is focused on relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists, who work together with your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any stage of prostate cancer and can be provided alongside curative treatments.
Managing Symptoms and Side Effects
Prostate cancer treatments, like surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy, can cause symptoms and side effects that impact your daily life. These might include pain, fatigue, urinary problems, sexual issues, and emotional stress. They also can help with nausea, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances. Palliative care teams are experts at managing these symptoms, helping you stay comfortable and maintain your quality of life.
Emotional and Social Support
Dealing with a prostate cancer diagnosis can bring many emotions like anxiety, depression, and fear. Palliative care teams include social workers, counselors, and chaplains who can provide emotional support and help you navigate the challenges of living with a serious illness. They can also help your family by connecting them to resources that meet their needs.
Coordinating Your Care
Prostate cancer treatment often means seeing many doctors, which can make it hard to keep track of everything. Palliative care can help organize your care, making sure all your doctors are communicating, and that your treatment plan is clear and matches your goals. They can also guide you in making important decisions about your care.
Improving Quality of Life
The main goal of palliative care is to improve your quality of life while you are living with prostate cancer. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have been living with the disease for some time, palliative care can help you manage symptoms, reduce stress, and provide the emotional and practical support you need.
How to Get Palliative Care
If you or a loved one are living with prostate cancer, ask your doctor for a referral to palliative care. It is available at any stage of an illness, so you don’t have to wait until symptoms get worse. Many people find that starting palliative care early helps them feel more in control and better prepared for what’s ahead.
Palliative care is offered in most hospitals and is growing quickly in outpatient clinics. In some areas, palliative care teams are available for home visits. Find a palliative care program in your area.
About GetPalliativeCare.org
GetPalliativeCare.Org is an online resource for patients and families that focuses solely on providing information on palliative care from the point of diagnosis. At GetPalliativeCare.org you can take a short quiz to see whether you or a loved one could benefit from palliative care. The site is provided by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.
Dr. Esch is a medical education consultant at the Center to Advance Palliative Care. A palliative care specialist, Dr. Esch focuses on improving quality of life for patients and their families as they face serious illness. Dr. Esch earned his medical degree from the University of Buffalo. Note that this post is adapted from one that originally ran in 2020.
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