Palliative surgery can greatly contribute to improving symptom control and quality of life for terminal cancer patients. Owing to the advanced stage of the disease, however, this type of surgery is also associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is therefore important for surgeons to have a sound understanding of the medical and scientific background underlying treatment decisions in palliative surgery, a foundation that this book provides. The opening chapters examine the relationship between palliative medicine and palliative surgery and address general issues including pain management and anesthesiological considerations. The role of palliative surgery in a wide range of disease settings is then thoroughly explored, including detailed information on surgical techniques and their indications and outcomes. This book will be an invaluable resource for all who wish to learn more about the emerging role of palliative surgery.

About the Author
About the Editors: Dr. Matthias Wichmann is a General Surgeon trained in Munich and is Fellow of the Australian College of Surgeons since 2007. He is Assistant Professor of the University of Munich since 2004 and Associate Professor of Flinders University in Adelaide since 2007. Dr. Wichmann is Consultant General Surgeon Mount Gambier Hospital (a rural hospital centre in South Australia) since 2006. His surgical interests involve colorectal cancer surgery, minimal invasive surgery and surgical education. Dr. Wichmann is Co-Editor of Jauch/Mutschler/Wichmann: Chirurgie Basisweiterbildung, 2007, 978-3-540-34004-1.

Reviews

From the book reviews:

"Written primarily for both new and experienced surgeons, the interdisciplinary tone and the information from nonsurgical specialties would make it valuable for surgical residents. It also would be valuable for palliative care fellows and practitioners in settings with high volumes of cancer surgery. ... This is an excellent book and I wouldn't hesitate to consult it ... . I am not aware of any comparable books, particularly with the degree of insight into palliative care in general this book provides." (Geoffrey P. Dunn, Doody's Book Reviews, November, 2014)

"The opening section deals with palliative care generally ... . second section deals with the special needs of patients having palliative surgery ... . The last two-thirds of the book deals with palliative surgery by domain: the various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, the brain, the head and neck, the breast ... . a useful book to have on the shelf in the palliative care unit, to guide junior staff as to what is possible and what the options are." (News Letter - IAHPC book reviews, Vol. 15 (4), April, 2014)



Book Information
ISBN 9783642537080
Author Matthias W. Wichmann
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K
Publisher Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG