Leading palliative care experts illustrate how you can improve both communication with cancer patients and their quality of life. For more than twenty years, this guide has been the go-to resource for busy practicing oncology and palliative care clinicians. This fourth edition, now titled Comprehensive Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer, provides physicians, advanced practice clinicians, and patients and their families with detailed information and advice for alleviating the suffering of cancer patients and their loved ones. Drawing on the work of experts who have developed revolutionary approaches to symptom management and palliative care, as well as on lessons learned during her decades as a teacher and clinician, Dr. Janet L. Abrahm and her coauthors illustrate how to help patients and families understand their prognosis, communicate their care preferences, and minimize their distress. This edition reflects important updates in the field while addressing the informational needs of a broader market of health care providers, including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, bereavement counselors, and chaplains. This new edition features three new chapters-"Spiritual Care in Palliative Care," "Psychological Considerations," and "Bereavement"-as well as specific guidelines about * advance care planning at all phases of cancer * understanding complex family dynamics and communication challenges * partnering with interpreters in the care of patients and family members with limited English-language proficiency * special considerations to take into account for LGBTQ+ patients and their loved ones * caring for patients who have a serious mental illness along with a cancer diagnosis * nonpharmacologic management of pain and other symptoms associated with cancer or its treatment The book features self-reflective exercises that encourage readers to consider their own biases before having discussions with patients and family members, as well as numerous patient stories that illustrate the techniques and insights clinicians can use to provide holistic, multidimensional care for a diverse cancer patient population.

This issue of Hematology/Oncology Clinics, edited by Dr. Janet Abrahm, focuses on Pain Control. Topics include, but are not limited to, Complex pain assessment; Evidence-based non-pharmacologic therapies; Non-opioid pharmacologic therapies; Opioid caveats, newer agents, and prevention/management of side effects and of aberrant use; Cancer pain syndromes; Agents for neuropathic pain RX; Mechanism of and Adjuvants for bone pain; Interventional anesthetic methods; Radiation therapy methods; Rehabilitation methods; Psychological treatment; Spiritual considerations; Pain in patients with SS diseases; and Pain in HSCT patients.

Janet L. Abrahm argues that all causes of suffering experienced by people with cancer, be they physical, psychological, social, or spiritual, should be treated at all stages: at diagnosis, during curative therapy, in the event that cancer recurs, and during the final months. In the second edition of this symptom-oriented guide, she provides primary care physicians, advanced practice nurses, internists and oncologists with detailed information and advice for alleviating the stress and pain of patients and family members alike.

The new edition includes the latest information on patient and family communication and counseling, on medical, surgical, and complementary and alternative treatments for symptoms caused by cancer and cancer treatments, and on caring for patients in the last days and their bereaved families. Updated case histories, medication tables, Practice Points, and bibliographies provide clinicians with the information they need to treat their cancer patients effectively and compassionately.