Advances in Palliative Medicine 2010, tom 9, nr 1

Dear Readers, Evidence-based medicine is a gold standard for creating clinical practice guidelines. On the other hand, case-based reasoning may also be helpful in specific and rare clinical situations [1]. This issue of Advances in Palliative Medicine includes a few case reports which we believe you will find helpful in the everyday practice...

Palliative care and end of life care is being emphasized ever more in everyday practice of medicine. Many of the specialty boards either recommend or require education in these aspects of care of patients during residency. The specific strengths and weakness of a given residency might help tailor a curriculum that is relevant and addresses the perceived strengths and weakness of the residents in that specialty...

Excessive sputum production which exceeds 100 ml per day is called bronchorrhoea. It is a frequent symptom of adenocarcinomas of the lung. Especially the bronchoalveolar cancer is notorious for bronchorrhoea...

Notalgia paraesthetica is a rare condition characterized by pain and itching in a limited area of the back,usually at the level between T2 and T6. It is caused by the impingement of the dorsal rami on the corresponding intercostal nerves. These rami pierce the paraspinous muscles which can be in spasm responding to pain originating in the vertebrae...

Advanced cancer disease often results in many unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms. They may have an important impact on the patients’ quality of life. Acute psychotic disorders like cognitive failure, and delirium in particular, are quite common in patients referred to oncologists and palliative care units...

Following the amputation of a limb or a part of it, the patient may experience sensations, illusions that the limb is still there. Such symptoms are referred to as phantom experiences. Directly after an amputation these symptoms are present in the majority of patients (in up to 97% of cases)...