Supportive Care in Cancer Patients

The symposium on supportive care in cancer patients, which took place in St. Gallen, Switzerland, on February 18-21, 1987, wel­ comed renowned experts in the field and more than 600 partici­ pants from 25 countries with the aim of stimulating discussion on how to improve our professional skills and personal attitudes to­ ward cancer patients in all stages of their disease. Why did we or­ ganize such a symposium on supportive care in cancer patients? Recent decades have witnessed remarkable success in cancer treat­ ment, and we have learned how to cure a finite number of neoplas­ tic diseases. Some malignant tumors that previously entailed high fatality rates, such as leukemias, lymphomas, and testicular can­ cers, can now be cured, even when at an advanced stage. Yet it seems to many that our struggle to improve results and to fight death from cancer has also imposed greater toxicity on patients. Conventional scientifically based oncology has only recently made adequate efforts to improve the subjective quality of life of cancer patients, for example through prophylaxis against emesis, nausea, and scalp hypothermia, pain control and the development of psy­ chosocial support structures. The search for less toxic and yet equally effective treatment measures has not been one of our pri­ mary goals in the past. Supportive care has always been part of nurses' professional aim, even though many have not known how best to offer it.