[Support of the palliative care at home by surgeons at community-based hospital]

We require many types of jobs and a compact cooperation of an institution so that the terminal stage cancer patients undergo palliative care they hope. Even if the patient and family hope for palliative care at home, there are many cases with various limitations where they had to continue staying in the hospital. On the other hand, we experienced a case with a good use of surgeon's skills in which the patient was able to go back home. Another case was that the patient was able to go home from hospital for an overnight or two. One more case in point was that the patient's QOL had increased while he was alive, though the patient could not go back home. The palliative care that surgeon offers is not only provide a pain control, but he also has to give a thought that how the patient's QOL amelioration and daily clinical maneuverings(for stopping aggressive tumor invasions)by surgeon are balanced.