“Cancer” is a disease that affects the body, causing deterioration due to changes in the body’s cells from various causes such as genetics, environment, lifestyle behaviors, and many other factors. Cancer has several stages of symptoms, but the most difficult stage to care for is the end stage cancer.
What is End Stage Cancer?
End stage cancer is cancer that has spread to other organs and cannot be completely cured. It is often found that patients with end stage cancer have quite complex and severe symptoms, resulting in a decline in both physical and mental quality of life, and a high chance of death within a short period.
How many stages of cancer are there and what are the symptoms of each stage?
Medically, cancer is divided into different stages, each with different symptoms and sizes as follows:
- Stage 0: Cancer has not yet grown into normal tissue but has the risk of becoming cancer.
- Stage 1: Cancer begins to grow in the tissue but has not spread to nearby tissues.
- Stage 2: Cancer begins to spread to nearby tissues but has not affected other tissues.
- Stage 3: Cancer has spread to lymph nodes, has tumors, or cancer wounds have increased in size.
- Stage 4: End stage cancer where cancer has spread to other tissues in the body, also called metastasis to other parts such as the abdomen, liver, intestines, bones, brain, or lungs. Cancer cells divide and grow uncontrollably beyond the body’s control.
Knowing and understanding the different stages of cancer is important to help doctors and patients cope, plan treatment, and predict the disease appropriately, especially end stage cancer, which requires proper care to maintain a good quality of life for patients throughout the final stage of life without suffering.
Common symptoms of end stage cancer patients
End stage cancer patients often have more than one symptom, which affects their quality of life, such as:
- Fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath
- Pain that may increase in severity
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite, inability to eat
- Dizziness, nausea
- Abnormal respiratory symptoms
- Psychological symptoms such as depression
In addition, symptoms before death in end stage cancer vary depending on the type of cancer.
How to cope with end stage cancer patients?
When end stage cancer patients have complex symptoms, care focuses on palliative care or symptom management. The goal is to relieve pain, reduce suffering, and help improve the patient’s quality of life, including managing symptoms caused by the cancer itself and side effects from treatment. Appropriate care requires a care plan from the medical team and cooperation from family or relatives in caring for the patient together.
Options for caring for end stage cancer patients
- Home care for end stage patients
Care for end stage cancer patients varies by case and family readiness. Some patients may want to rest and live their final days in a familiar place with relatives or family members who are ready in terms of time and understanding of the patient’s symptoms.
If the patient’s symptoms are within a range that allows staying at home, end stage care can be provided at home with ongoing monitoring and consultation with the medical care team.
- Hospital care for end stage patients
For families who are not ready or cannot provide 24-hour care, choosing hospital services that offer palliative care for end stage cancer patients is another option to help improve the patient’s quality of life. In cases where patients have very severe symptoms, close care by medical and nursing teams can facilitate and reduce concerns about assistance.
If you and your family are looking for a place to care for end stage cancer patients, the Palliative Care Center at Phyathai 3 Hospital is another option that provides care as if you were at home.
Caring for end stage cancer patients requires sensitivity and close palliative care, understanding physical symptoms and the patient’s emotions to plan and help the patient have a good quality of life and pass away peacefully.
