Preface

Is it necessary to write an additional book on palliative care? This is the question I asked myself when IntechOpen offered me the chance to serve as editor for a book project on the topic. My main doubt was that such a vast argument must be comprehensively addressed for developing a treatise that can be useful for those who already know the subject and for students or non-healthcare providers who are approaching it [1]. Work with these features can take years to complete, and after a treatise is completed, it immediately needs updating.

The alternative is to focus the reader's attention on some aspects of the subject and to commission recognized experts to deal with the individual chapters. Although the result of this approach cannot be compared to a textbook, the editorial path is dynamic, fast, and allows the reader to extrapolate what (for example, a chapter) really interests them.

In truth, in collaboration with the publisher, we had already followed this approach in 2017. With moderate satisfaction, and according to several readers to whom I asked for an opinion, I can affirm that the book Highlights on Several Underestimated Topics in Palliative Care [2] is a decent editorial product. Other publishers have also produced multiple texts on selected issues of palliative care such as pediatric [3] and geriatric palliative care [4], symptom management [5], and ethics [6].

Data from clinical studies, evidence-based medicine investigations, and guidelines continuously enrich the wealth of knowledge in all fields of medicine and therefore also in palliative care. In addition, some topics, such as organizational and policy aspects, are very relevant in this area. On this basis, the idea was to collect updated information on selected topics in a new editorial work. In this sense, this book represents the natural complement of the previous book and the wish to publish another volume in the next 2–3 years. However, even if we started thinking of producing a book with few contributions, the enthusiasm of the authors of the chapters and the incredible commitment of the IntechOpen editorial team, led to the creation of a full-bodied volume. Given its eighteen chapters, and thanks to its systematic nature as well as to the value of the authors, it is very close to a textbook.

This book is divided into five sections.

In the first section we have an Introductory chapter.

The second deals with palliative care topics in selected clinical settings, such as palliative care of the infant and child, and in gynecological oncology. The third section focuses on the role of the caregiver. Expert readers will deepen their knowledge on this aspect of fundamental importance, while those who approach the subject will find useful information. The efforts of the authors to address this particularly sensitive subject are appreciable. Subsequently, the fourth section collects chapters on symptoms and the use/effect of drugs in these particularly vulnerable patients. Since pain is the main symptom, its careful assessment and adequate treatment are mandatory. In this context, the use of opioids represents

a milestone. Nevertheless, pain is not the only symptom to address; delirium (see the introductory chapter), depression, nausea, and vomiting (especially by chemotherapy drugs) must be managed in the most appropriate way. Finally, the fifth section is dedicated to ethics, organization, and policy issues. These fascinating chapters represent the added value of this book in which I had the great honor of participating.

> **Marco Cascella** Department of Supportive Care, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS-Fondazione Pascale, Napoli, Italy

> > **Michael John Stones** Lakehead University, Canada

> > > **VII**

[1] R. D. MacLeod, L. Van den Block. Textbook of Palliative Care. Springer.

[2] M. Cascella. Highlight on several underestimated topics in palliative care.

[3] J. Amery. A Really PRACTICAL HANDBOOK of Children's Palliative

[4] S. Goldhirsch. Geriatric Palliative Care. Oxford University Press. 2014

[5] C.F.B. Regnard, D. Mervyn. A Guide to Symptom Relief in Palliative Care.

[6] R. C. Macauley. Ethics in Palliative Care: A Complete Guidebooks. Oxford

Zagreb: Intech Publisher. 2017

Care ICPCN. 2015

Radcliffe Publishing 2010

University Press. 2018

2019

**References**
