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Paediatric palliative care: coming of age in oncology?

Renée McCulloch1, Maggie Comac, Finella Craig

  • 1Paediatric Palliative Care Team, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, Great Ormond Street, London. Mcculr@gosh.nhs.uk

European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
|April 15, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric palliative care integrates pediatrician expertise with palliative care specialization for children with incurable cancer. This review highlights unique challenges and advances in pediatric palliative oncology services.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Palliative Care Medicine
  • Child Health Services Research

Background:

  • Palliative care in children is an emerging subspecialty of pediatrics.
  • Effective pediatric palliative care requires a combination of pediatric and palliative care expertise.
  • Paediatricians may lack advanced palliative care knowledge, while palliative care specialists may be unfamiliar with pediatric complexities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent literature on advances in pediatric palliative care services.
  • To discuss the development of services for children and young people with incurable cancer.
  • To identify key differences between pediatric and adult palliative care.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent publications.
  • Analysis of advances in pediatric palliative care services.
  • Discussion of challenges in pediatric palliative oncology.

Main Results:

  • Pediatric palliative care necessitates specialized knowledge beyond general pediatrics or adult palliative care.
  • Key differences exist between pediatric and adult palliative care approaches.
  • Barriers to providing effective palliation and conducting research in pediatric cancer exist.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric palliative care is a distinct and essential subspecialty.
  • Further development of pediatric palliative care services is needed.
  • Addressing barriers is crucial for improving care and research in pediatric palliative oncology.

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