Grootjans-Geerts I
Mw.I.Grootjans-Geerts, huisarts, Wiekslag 90a, 3815 GS Amersfoort.
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2007 Mar 24;151(12):679-80.
Nowadays, many palliative treatments are available for advanced cancer. These treatments provide relief of symptoms and add months to life, but their price is high, both literally and figuratively. Patients seize on any opportunity to be treated and oncologists find it hard to stop treatment because this means talking and reflecting about dying. This 'conspiracy of silence' makes it hard to say 'we don't have any further treatment'. Instead of saying 'we have no further treatment', patients should be offered palliative care as a positive choice to achieve the best quality of life, not only with physical but also with psychological, social and spiritual support.
如今，针对晚期癌症有许多姑息治疗方法。这些治疗可缓解症状并延长数月生命，但无论从字面意义还是象征意义上讲，其代价都很高。患者抓住任何接受治疗的机会，而肿瘤学家发现很难停止治疗，因为这意味着要谈论和思考死亡。这种“沉默的阴谋”使得很难说出“我们没有进一步的治疗方法了”。不应只是说“我们没有进一步的治疗方法了”，而应向患者提供姑息治疗，将其作为实现最佳生活质量的积极选择，不仅给予身体上的支持，还包括心理、社会和精神上的支持。
