Supportive Care Conference in San Diego to Take Place on Tuesday
A conference that will discuss Palliative Care Options for mesothelioma patients will be hosted at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego, California next week on Tuesday, the 8th of December. Palliative care refers to patient care that alleviates or mitigates pain and discomfort in patients rather than directly treating or the incurable illness.
Mesothelioma is a remarkably aggressive cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. The disease often takes several years if not decades to develop after the affected individual breaths or swallows airborne asbestos fibers. The fibers accumulate in the chest or abdominal cavity and cause scarring of the mesothelium, the lining that protects many of our organs, which further develops into malignant tumors that can grow and spread very quickly. The prognosis for those diagnosed with mesothelioma is very poor, often determining that the patient has only 6 to 18 months to live. This prognosis increases the value of a focus on supportive care that aims to improve the comfort and quality of life for the patient’s remaining time. Mesothelioma affects about 2,000 – 3,000 people in the United states each year, and accounts for some 3% of total cancer diagnoses in the country.
Dr. Charles F. von Gunten will be conducting the Palliative Care Options conference. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the Institute of Palliative Medicine in San Diego, California. Dr. von Gunten is well known as one of the leading experts in palliative care; he is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, the former President of the American Association for Cancer Education, and a renowned investigator of the National Cancer Institute. The doctor aims to help deliver new information about medicines, treatments and procedures for asbestos related disease to doctors, patients and their families.
A clear understanding of palliative care options can make a huge difference for mesothelioma patients and their families. An oncologist’s determination to eradicate the disease often comes at the cost of a less inspired knowledge of supportive care techniques and a less fervent recommendation to apply them. Supportive care’s chief aim is to increase the overall value of a patient’s remaining time through considering the ramifications of treatment options in regards to both quantity and quality of life. Palliative care may include treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other procedures including pleurodesis, a surgery to halt fluid buildup in the pleura, and thoracentesis, a surgery to improve breathing by draining fluid from the lungs. Supportive care also encourages alternative treatments such as hypnosis, proper diet, meditation, massage, and acupuncture to improve the patient’s comfort and well being.
In the conference next Tuesday, Dr. von Gunten hopes to empower patients and their families to take a more active role in the treatment process and ultimately help to improve their quality of life.
