Managing Symptoms & Side Effects
Palliative care supports both your physical and mental well-being during kidney cancer treatment. Palliative care specialists help manage uncomfortable symptoms and side effects such as constipation and diarrhea, pain and fatigue, as well as emotional aspects such as anxiety, depression and insomnia. When needed, they bring other experts to your care team – pain specialists, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers, clergy and others – to provide the support you need.
Learn more about Managing Symptoms & Side Effects
Advance Care Planning
Many decisions need to be made at the time of diagnosis and throughout your kidney cancer journey.
Palliative care includes advance care planning. Advance care planning is a patient-driven, decision-making process for:
- Thinking about what matters most to you – your treatment goals, your lifestyle preferences, who you want as your caregivers
- Learning about treatment decisions that may need to be made – now and in the future – and the pros and cons of different treatment paths
- Sharing your wishes with your family, caregivers and care team
Your advance care plan can be put into a legal document called an advance directive. An advance directive can identify your health care representative, a designated person(s) who can make your medical decisions when you are unable. An advance directive can also outline your preferences for medical care through a living will section. Your advanced care plan and advance directive can be changed as circumstances change.
