Palliative cancer care

Palliative care means care aimed at comfort and quality of life. It is not the same as hospice, and it does not mean giving up on treating the cancer. Many people receive palliative procedures while they are still having chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiation, so they can feel well enough to keep going.

Interventional radiologists use ultrasound, X-ray and CT to guide needles and thin tubes to exactly where a problem is. That lets us drain fluid, open blockages and treat pain without surgery. Most of these procedures take under an hour, and many people go home the same day.

Each of these procedures has its own page with details on preparation, what happens, recovery and risks.

There is rarely one right answer. A home drain may mean fewer hospital visits but needs regular care. A nerve block may lower your need for opioid pain medicines, but it is not permanent. We weigh how you feel now, your goals, your other treatments, and how much time you want to spend in clinics and hospitals.

When I see someone for a palliative procedure, my first question is what is bothering you most, because that decides everything else. Then I look at the scans to find the simplest procedure that will fix that problem and last. I would rather do one well-planned procedure than several small ones, so you can spend your time at home and not in hospitals.

Fabio Komlos, MD, interventional radiologist · About Dr. Fabio Komlos

Most of these procedures use numbing medicine, with or without light sedation. You will get instructions about eating, drinking and blood thinners beforehand. See before your procedure. If a tube or drain stays in, we teach you and your family how to care for it, and we are there for questions and changes. See how do I manage my drain.