Supportive care of the cancer patient begins with the diagnosis of cancer and terminates with the end of life. The supportive care is for symptoms related to the cancer and/or its treatment; physical, psychosocial and emotional issues associated with the cancer. Patients with cancer, in general, are living longer. Even those with advanced, metastatic disease have an increase in their survival. This, in part, is due to better therapies, novel treatments and the multimodality approaches to treating many cancers. In Supportive Care in Cancer Therapy, edited by David Ettinger, the contributors provide an up-to-date, concise review of specific consequences of cancer and its treatment. The chapters will allow the reader to better understand the sequelae associated with all aspects of cancer and how to treat them in order to achieve control of symptoms and provide psychosocial care to improve the quality of life of the cancer patient. In addition, the reader will gain informationon the care of the older patient as well as the dying patient.
