Advances in palliative care for the patient with scleroderma.

Few studies published within the past year have addressed palliative care for the patient with scleroderma or systemic sclerosis. However, progress continues to be made, and important contributions have been made with respect to different vasodilator preparations for Raynaud's phenomenon, a possible role for diltiazem in the treatment of calcinosis, and the treatment of gut dysmotility. A number of comprehensive review papers on different aspects of management, mainly organ based, were included in the recently published textbook Systemic Sclerosis. Until there is an effective disease-modifying treatment for systemic sclerosis, management will be largely palliative and is best delivered by a multidisciplinary team.