PALLIATIVE CARE BY A VISITING TEAM FOR A PATIENT WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER AT HOME: A CLINICAL CASE

Relevance: Palliative care aims to improve patient care by correctly diagnosing and effectively treating pain and other severe symptoms that worsen the patient’s condition. It also includes educating relatives about care and providing psychological and social support to the patient and his/her family.The purpose was to study the role of a mobile team in providing comprehensive palliative care at home to a patient diagnosed with tumor-infiltrative breast cancer with metastatic lesions.Methods: The article presents a clinical case of a patient with tumor-infiltrative breast cancer of stage III B, complicated by metastases to the brain and pelvic bones and bedsores of stage III-IV. The disease progressed despite four cycles of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy and four cycles of targeted therapy. Special attention is paid to the work of the visiting team, which provides comprehensive medical, psychological, and social support to the patient and his/her family at home. The main aspects of palliative care include competent identification and effective management of pain symptoms, care and treatment of bedsores, nasogastric tube feeding, and interaction with family members to reduce emotional stress.Results: Treatment of stage III-IV bedsores gave positive dynamics in the form of transition to the granulation phase after 1.5 months of conservative therapy. Modern wound treatment methods, including antiseptic solutions and antibiotic ointments, helped reduce infectious complications and improve the patient’s condition. The work of the mobile team highlighted the importance of an individualized approach that includes both medical and social support within palliative care.Conclusions: Mobile teams providing palliative care at home to severe terminal cancer patients improve their quality of life and satisfaction with the care provided.