When cancer can’t be cured

Palliative care

Some cancers can't be cured. This does not always mean that you will die from the cancer. Medical, nursing and emotional support can be offered at home, in hospital or in a hospice over a long period of time.

What are palliative care and supportive care?

Palliative treatment is care for, and control of, your symptoms, rather than the treatment of the disease itself. It may include palliative chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery.

Some patients are too ill to cope with these powerful treatments, or the cancer is not responding to them. In this case, palliative care (sometimes called supportive care) aims to give good pain and symptom control by other means.

Supportive care includes care for your emotional and spiritual wellbeing. It involves and supports your family and carers too. In its widest sense, supportive care starts with the first tests that you have, and is the concern of all the healthcare professionals that you meet throughout your treatment.

Supportive care aims to help you to live well and have the best possible quality of life, even if your cancer can't be cured. If this is the case, you may receive specialist palliative care in hospital, at home, in a care home or in a hospice. The pattern of your care will be decided by you and the multidisciplinary team which has looked after you so far, including your GP.

You may be cared for by a hospital-based palliative care team or a 'hospice at home' team. Additional palliative care may be given by a Macmillan nurse, your Community Palliative Care Team, Marie Curie nurses or your local hospice.

You should be offered clear information and support in an open and sensitive way.

If you need more information or advice in the meantime, you may find these suggestions helpful:

Coping with advanced cancer
Cancerbackup booklet. This is for people who have been told that their cancer has spread or come back. It covers emotional issues, coping with day-to-day life and putting your affairs in order. You can view this online, or contact Cancerbackup for a printed copy (free to patients).

Caring for someone with advanced cancer
Cancerbackup booklet. Gives advice on what to do after the cancer patient leaves hospital, how to get practical help, advice about money, everyday feelings, and coping with death. You can view this online, or contact Cancerbackup for a printed copy (free to patients and carers).

Dying with cancer
Cancerbackup booklet. Sections include coping with the news, choosing where to die, symptom control, putting your affairs in order, and coping with grief. You can view this online, or contact Cancerbackup for a printed copy (free to patients).

Caring for someone who is dying
Penny Mares. Age Concern book. ISBN: 0 862423 70 8.

Advice for those caring for a terminally ill patient. It includes sections on getting help with caring, living with illness, money and legal matters, bereavement and grief. You can buy this from Age Concern, or try your local library or bookshop. 6.99.

Hello and how are you?
'Hello and how are you?' is a free handbook which contains ideas and suggestions based on the experiences of people who have been carers and who want to help others cope in a similar situation. The information has been arranged so that carers can easily dip into it, in whatever order suits their needs best, rather than from a medical perspective. It is available from the Macmillan Resources Line on 01344 350310.

The Hospice Information Service
Online database of hospice and palliative care services in the UK, Republic of Ireland and worldwide. The site also explains how patients are referred to them. There are also useful addresses on subjects such as bereavement, cancer organisations, funerals, carers etc.

Association of Childrens Hospices
Information about the services provided by childrens hospices. Includes a list of UK hospices with addresses.

Growth House
Large database of international information relating to palliative and hospice care, pain, grief and bereavement.

Cancer Index (guide to internet resources for cancer)

You can use this to find more websites on palliative care and other cancer issues.