Related Experiment Videos
[Extensive palliative carcinoma operation--is it really worthwhile? What are the aims?]
Langenbecks Archiv Fur Chirurgie. Supplement. Kongressband. Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Chirurgie. Kongress
|January 1, 1996
Summary
The decision for extensive palliative cancer surgery is highly individualized. Cost-effectiveness and quality control data offer limited guidance for each unique patient case.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Palliative Care
Context:
- Palliative cancer operations involve extensive surgical procedures.
- Assessing the value of such surgeries requires considering multiple perspectives.
Purpose:
- To explore the decision-making process for extensive palliative cancer surgery.
- To evaluate the utility of economic and quality control data in individual surgical decisions.
Summary:
- Economic analyses of cost-effectiveness are not applicable to individual cases.
- Internal quality control data from 1200 oncological procedures showed 138 extensive palliative operations with a 9.4% mortality rate. Of those alive after 15 months, 60% reported satisfactory to very good quality of life.
- Individual case histories highlight that the decision for surgery must be made by each patient and surgeon.
Impact:
- Highlights the limitations of generalized data in personalized cancer treatment decisions.
- Emphasizes the critical role of shared decision-making between patients and surgeons in palliative oncology.