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Palliative care can be helpful through all stages of illness. Early on, it can help make medical treatments more tolerable; at later stages, it can reduce suffering, help you carry on with daily life, assist you in planning for future medical care, and provide support for living with a life-threatening illness.
Palliative care focuses on the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. Our team of professionals aims to provide comfort, preserve your dignity, and help you achieve open communication with your family and caregivers.
Coping with Cancer Pain: A Handbook for Patients
What is Palliative Care?James Tulsky, MD, Chair of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care and his team provide emotional and psychological support for cancer patients and their families. Palliative care helps manage pain and discomfort, aiding quality of life.
By working with you, your oncology team, and providers in your community, we blend palliative care into your cancer therapy. We provide:
If your illness progresses despite the treatments you're receiving at Dana-Farber, you and your health care providers may consider the idea of hospice. This service can help you live as well as possible for as long as possible, manage your symptoms at home, and spend precious time with your loved ones. We are happy to provide information or a referral to hospice care.
The Adult Palliative Care Program is part of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care. Our teams help cancer patients and their families maintain the best quality of life during and after treatment. Our clinicians include physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and a pharmacist who work closely with you and your healthcare team to provide integrated care and support your unique needs.
Learn more about the Adult Psychosocial Oncology Program
Managing Cancer Pain in the Face of Substance Use DisordersA metastatic breast cancer patient with a history of substance use disorder candidly shares her story and challenges of balancing her past with her need for pain management for her cancer.
As a new Dana-Farber patient, find answers to questions about your first visit: what to bring, how to find us, where to park, and how to prepare.
We offer a wide range of services, from financial planning to creative arts to spiritual counsel, to support our patients through their cancer experiences.
See patient satisfaction survey results for different Dana-Farber locations collected by Press Ganey, an independent company experienced in patient satisfaction surveying.
The Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for cancer patients and their families by incorporating complementary therapies into traditional cancer care.
Our nutrition experts help patients follow a healthy diet during and after cancer treatment.
The Blum Resource Center provides patients and family members with a comfortable environment to learn more about disease treatment and management.