The Federal Government has urged health facilities to ensure that cancer patient care continues even when curative treatment is no longer possible.
The National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Plan, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Uchechukwu Nwokwu, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
Nwokwu said hospitals should not discharge cancer patients simply because they lacked the capacity or resources to provide further treatment.
He explained that where a facility could no longer manage a patient’s condition, arrangements should be made for prompt referral to another hospital where appropriate treatment and support could continue.
“Even when there is no bed space, you should refer that person to where that care can be continued,” he said.
According to him, a cancer patient should only be discharged home when clinically stable, able to take treatment orally and unlikely to require further medical intervention or monitoring.
“No matter how bad the situation looks, being bad is all the reason you should be in the hospital,” Nwokwu said.
He explained that cancer treatment could involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapy, depending on the type and stage of the disease and the individual needs of the patient.
Nwokwu, however, noted that some patients with advanced cancer could eventually reach a stage where treatment aimed at achieving a cure was no longer feasible, particularly where the disease had spread extensively.
He stressed that the end of curative treatment should not mean the end of cancer patient care, saying patients must continue receiving appropriate medical and supportive services.
“The patient is entitled to peaceful death. A pain-free death. Even if you can no longer provide treatment that is aimed at cure, the patient should not die in pain,” he said.
The coordinator said palliative care was particularly important in advanced cancer, but warned against treating it as care reserved only for patients who were dying.
He said the National Palliative Care Policy provides for palliative care to be integrated from the point of diagnosis and maintained throughout the course of illness.
“We are not trying to say start palliative care when it is now hopeless. No, palliative care should be instituted within six weeks of diagnosis,” he said.
Nwokwu explained that palliative care goes beyond pain relief, covering psychological, social, financial and spiritual needs associated with cancer and its treatment.
He said cancer could affect patients’ employment, family income and ability to afford treatment, with financial pressure sometimes discouraging patients from seeking or completing care.
He therefore stressed the importance of involving families in treatment and support decisions, noting that cancer could have significant emotional and financial effects on relatives.
Nwokwu added that spiritual support could also form part of a patient’s care, provided it reflected the individual’s beliefs and complemented medical treatment.
He said pain management remained a key component of palliative care, while radiotherapy could also be used in some cases to control pain and other symptoms even when the treatment was not intended to cure the cancer.
The coordinator warned that delayed introduction of palliative care could make it harder for patients to cope with their condition and remain on treatment.
He consequently called for a continuous healthcare system in which cancer patients receive appropriate support according to their condition, disease progression and individual needs.
Nwokwu maintained that even when a cure was no longer possible, patients should receive care that protects their comfort, dignity and quality of life through the end of life.
