Palliative and Supportive Care

Palliative and supportive care is a holistic approach of looking after a person with an incurable illness as a ‘whole’. 

On this page you will find information about:

What is palliative and supportive care?

Palliative and supportive care focuses on making you feel supported and comfortable, rather than controlling or treating your illness. It does not substitute or replace your current treatment. These services aim to help you live as well as possible for as long as possible, and ultimately improve quality of life for you, your family and your friends.

Palliative and Supportive care can help with many things including:

  • Pain management 
  • Breathing difficulties
  • Appetite and nutrition
  • Fatigue

When can you have palliative and supportive care?

Palliative and supportive care services might be available to you at any point after your diagnosis, to help you with the management of your cancer symptoms and support you with your secondary breast cancer diagnosis. Accessing palliative and supportive care services should not affect any treatment you may be receiving and can be offered alongside other therapies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

End of life care 

Palliative and supportive care services are not the same as end of life care. End of life care is a specific form of palliative care. Palliative and supportive care services are available to you from the time of your diagnosis and having this does not mean you are nearing the end of life. Some people may have palliative and supportive care for several years.

Accessing palliative and supportive care

The best people to speak to about accessing these services are usually your immediate medical team at your local hospital or through your GP.  A referral form may need to be completed by one of these medical professionals.

What types of care are available

There are lots of different types of palliative and supportive care available to patients with secondary breast cancer, and these will depend on your current needs. They can be accessed: 

  • Within your local hospital
  • Given at home
  • At a specific care unit
  • Within a local hospice 

Symptom Management 

One of the main ways palliative and supportive care can help patients is with managing cancer symptoms. The symptoms and side effects of secondary breast cancer and its treatment are different for everyone and can vary depending on where the cancer has spread in your body and the type of treatment you are on. Palliative and supportive care can help to manage
or ease some of these symptoms. 

Some examples of how Palliative and Supportive Care can help:

 

Pain Management

Non-pharmacological interventions:

  • Massage, aromatherapy, acupuncture 

Pharmacological interventions: 

  • Non-opioid analgesics (pain medication), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs & opioids (morphine) 

Nausea and vomiting 

Non-pharmacological interventions:

  • Dietary advice, psychological services, acupuncture/acupressure 

Pharmacological interventions:

  • Antiemetics (nausea and vomiting relieving drugs)

Breathlessness

Non-pharmacological interventions:

  • Positioning and breathing techniques, mobility aids and muscle strengthening 

Pharmacological interventions:

  • Oxygen and opioids

Emotional well-being

A cancer diagnosis and the treatment you receive can cause a lot of emotions for you and your family. With your emotional well-being being an important part of your overall health, palliative and supportive care specialists can provide you with ideas and resources to help address these concerns.

Some examples include:

  • Counselling
  • Meditation
  • Exercise
  • Medication 

Social Support

It is easy to feel socially isolated from others and it can often be difficult to talk to loved ones about what you are going through. Palliative and supportive care can help provide social and emotional support for you, as well as support for
family and friends who are affected by a loved
ones cancer diagnosis. 

Spiritual Support

Spirituality can mean different things to different people and individual spiritual needs can vary. Some people may find that a secondary breast cancer diagnosis brings them or their family closer to their faith or spiritual beliefs. Palliative and supportive care professionals can help explore a patient's spiritual needs and identify if and when they need support. 

Helpful information and resources on spiritual care can be found on the Marie Curie website.

Practical Support and Advice

Palliative and supportive care services also offer practical support and advice. This can include:

  • Support with financial or legal worries
  • Questions about bills or insurance
  • Concerns about employment
  • Applying for medical leave or disability payments
  • Help with advanced care planning

Support for family and carers

Family and carers can often provide patients who are living with secondary breast cancer important emotional and physical support. However, this can lead to them becoming emotionally drained, overwhelmed and anxious. 

To help them cope and provide them with additional support, palliative and supportive care services may also be available to family members and carers. 

This support could be in the form of individual or group counselling, spiritual support or advice and if necessary, support from social workers about adjustments to make at home. 

Conversations with loved ones

Talking to your loved ones about your illness or death can be difficult, but it can also be helpful and for some bring about a sense of relief. 

If you decide to have these conversations with your loved ones you may decide to talk to them all together or individually, depending on what suits you and your family. 

If you and your family do not want to have these conversations, or are not ready to, then you do not have to have them. You may wish to take some time to yourself or learn more about your illness and needs before you talk to your loved ones. Speaking to your GP or another healthcare professional before speaking to your loved ones can also be helpful.

Helpful conversations to have with loved ones

Discussing the type of care you would like with your loved ones can help them from having to make difficult decisions with your doctor, and allow them to understand your wishes, what is important to you, and what you want in the future. 

Some things you might want to do or discuss: 

  • Create a memory box, write a letter or make a video to leave for your loved ones
  • Talking about your wishes for the future
  • Feelings or worries about death
  • Things you would like to give to people
  • The type of care you would like to receive

Making a plan

Making a plan or advance care planning involves making decisions about the type of care you would like to have in the future. This can help your family, carers and clinician team understand and follow your wishes. 

Some things you may want to include in an advance care plan: 

  • How you would like to be cared for
  • Where you would like to be cared for
  • Where you would like to die
  • How you would like your funeral to be
  • If you have any spiritual or religious beliefs
  • If you are an organ donor
  • Lasting power of attorney - legally appointing someone to make decisions for you if you are unable to do so
  • If you want to refuse any types of treatment

Discussing these topics can be difficult but can help ensure your wishes are followed and prevent your family from having to make difficult decisions in the future. 

To make a plan speak to your GP about an advance care planning form or use some of the resources available below.

Helpful Resources on Advanced Care Planning:

Make 2nds Count & Other Helpful Resources

Talking about palliative and supportive care services and end of life care can be difficult. At Make 2nds Count, we are here for you.  

We offer:

There are lots of local support services available for people living with secondary breast cancer but it's not easy to find them! Check out our 2nds Support Hub to see what’s available near you.

Other Helpful Resources:

Written by Lucy Welsh, Dundee University 

Reviewed by Lead Patient Trials Advocate Nurse Vivienne Wilson, Make 2nds Count

Date of last update: October 2024