Symptom Management and Nursing Care in Palliative Care of Cervical Cancer Patients

Cervical cancer is a preventable and treatable gynecological cancer, which ranks fourth among cancers seen in women worldwide and tenth in our country, and can usually be detected in advanced stages of the disease. In advanced stages, some problems, including particular organs and systems, such as pain, vaginal secretion, fistula, vaginal bleeding, diarrhea, constipation, edema in legs, and air hunger in the patient can emerge as a result of both the disease itself and the organs it has spread in and chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or chemoradiotherapy applied to the patient for medical purpose. It is not possible to control all of these problems with medical treatment. This situation requires palliative care in the effective management of the disease. Palliative care in cervical cancer is provided by a multidisciplinary team, and the nurse is a significant member of this team. A nurse fulfills several roles and responsibilities including symptom management in palliative care of cervical cancers, fulfillment of a honorable death, and supporting the family during the mourning period. Thus, in this compilation, nursing practices related to symptom management in palliative care of cervical cancer patients and the end-of-life period will be discussed.