Nearly 40 percent of cancer patients felt some sort of physical pain in the month before they died, it has been learned from results of the first nationwide survey of its kind conducted among families of deceased patients by the National Cancer Center Japan.
The results indicate the need for more palliative care, which is provided to relieve the mental and physical stress endured by people with terminal illnesses.
The survey was conducted from February to March this year among families of patients who died of cancer and other diseases in 2016, in order to grasp the circumstances of people who receive medical treatment in the final stages of their lives.
Valid answers were given by 1,630, or 51 percent, of about 3,200 bereaved family members of cancer patients. Asked whether the patients experienced little physical pain in the month before they died, 36 percent of the 1,630 participants gave negative responses, selecting such answers as, "I don't think so" and "I don't really think so."
Asked whether patients experienced a feeling of calm, the survey found that 35 percent of them experienced some degree of hardship based on answers by family members, who selected such responses as, "I don't think so" and "I don't really think so."
The survey also found that 42 percent of family members endured the burden of caring for the patients.
"It is possible to relieve patients' physical pain by providing appropriate palliative care," said Masashi Kato, chief of the Division of Medical Support and Partnership at the cancer center. "We should improve care while frequently communicating with patients."
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