[Usefulness of palliative care for the patients with recurrent gastric cancer by home-IVH].

Depending upon the type of cancer involved, the period of the end stage varies greatly, and with it decreases the quality of life (QOL). In gastric cancer, for example, the terminal stage is usually short and the QOL diminishes abruptly. Thus, it takes time keeping this decrease in QOL to minimum, despite the complications, so that the patient's last days will be even somewhat more acceptable. Improvement in QOL for the patient who cannot eat due to recurrent gastric cancer can be effectively achieved by alleviation through IVH. With this in mind, the conditions consonant with the application of home IVH are as follows: 1) The patient's pain can be kept under control at home. 2) The patient wishes to remain. 3)There is sufficient human support at home. The caretakers in the family, and especially the key person(s) must exert much effort and labor and they need rest as well. Home medical care in the terminal stage presupposes a social environment involving day care, short stay, and hospice nursing facilities of all kinds. At present, public services of this kind differ with the community, much remains uninformed to public, and clinic-hospital networking will be needed more than ever. In this difficult situation, the home-care medical services provided by the private sector are effective. These services are only for the short term, of course, and there will be a financial problem. Various measures (tax deduction, public assistance) must be considered to support the patients and caretakers.