What does palliative cancer treatment mean?
How palliative anti-cancer treatment differs from supportive care, specialist palliative care and end-of-life care.
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When cancer treatment is palliative or treatment options are changing
Clear explanations of palliative treatment, what may happen when treatment is not helping, and why further anti-cancer treatment is not always the most helpful option.
A change in treatment can be difficult to hear, particularly when several different terms are used at once. Palliative anti-cancer treatment, supportive care, specialist palliative care and end-of-life care are related, but they do not mean the same thing.
This section explains how expected benefit, side effects, general health and personal priorities are considered. It cannot determine what should be offered to an individual person.
Start hereWhat palliative cancer treatment means
Questions and explanations
What happens if cancer treatment stops working?
How doctors recognise that cancer treatment is no longer helping, what other options may be considered, and why care continues even when treatment changes.
Why might anti-cancer treatment not be recommended?
Why expected benefit, side effects, performance status, previous treatment and personal priorities may lead to no anti-cancer treatment being advised.
Treatment decisions
Understanding treatment
What does performance status mean in cancer care?
What ECOG or WHO performance status means, how the 0–4 scale describes daily function, and why it is only one part of a cancer treatment decision.
Why can two people with the same cancer have different treatment?
How cancer type, stage, grade, biomarkers, previous treatment, health, treatment aim and patient priorities shape an individual plan.
Treatment decisions
Understanding treatment
Should I consider a cancer clinical trial?
What a clinical trial can offer, what remains uncertain, how eligibility works and which questions to ask before deciding.
These articles provide general information. Your clinical team can explain what applies to your own situation.