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In our society's aggressive pursuit of cures for cancer, we have neglected symptom control and comfort care. Less than one percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget is spent on any aspect of palliative care research or education, despite the half million people who die of cancer each year and the larger number living with cancer and its symptoms. "Improving Palliative Care for Cancer" examines the barriers - scientific, policy, and social - that keep those in need away from getting good palliative care. It goes on to recommend public- and private-sector actions that would lead to the development of more effective palliative interventions; better information about currently used interventions; and greater knowledge about, and access to, palliative care for all those with cancer who would benefit from it.
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Improving Palliative Care for Cancer
Kathleen M. Foley and Hellen Gelband, Editors National Cancer Policy Board INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE and NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS • 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W. • Washington, DC 20418 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the Board responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. Support for the National Cancer Policy Board is provided by the National Cancer Institute; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Abbott Laboratories; the American Cancer Society; American Society of Clinical Oncology; Amgen, Inc.; Aventis; and United Health Care Foundation. The views presented in this report are those of the Institute of Medicine and the Division of Earth and Life Studies National Cancer Policy Board and are not necessarily those of the funding agencies. International Standard Book Number 0-309-07402-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2001094187 Additional copies of this report are available for sale from the National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Box 285, Washington, D.C. 20055. Call (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area), or visit the NAP home page at www.nap.edu. The full text of this report is available at www.nap.edu. For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu. Copyright 2001 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
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