Care of the adult cancer patient at the end of life: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines

ESMO Open. 2021 Aug;6(4):100225. doi: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100225. Epub 2021 Aug 17.

¹ Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
³ Palliative and Supportive Care Department Cabrini Health, Prahran, Victoria, Australia.
⁴ Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁵ Palliative Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
⁶ Marymount University Hospital and Hospice, Curraheen, Cork, Ireland.
⁷ Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, USA.
⁸ Oncology-Supportive Care in Cancer Unit, Department Onco-Haematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori Milano, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

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This ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for end-of-life care for patients with advanced cancer.
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It details care that is focused on comfort, quality of life and approaching death of patients with advanced cancer.
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All recommendations were compiled by a multidisciplinary group of experts.
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Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the authors’ collective expert opinion.

Keywords: cancer patient; clinical practice guideline; death and dying; end of life; palliative care; total care.