Cancer Research and Treatment

Special Article

Palliative Sedation in End-of-Life Patients in Eastern Asia: A Narrative Review: Seung Hun Lee, Jung Hye Kwon, Young-Woong Won, Jung Hun Kang; Cancer Res Treat. 2022;54(3):644-650. Published online April 19, 2022; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4143/crt.2022.187

Although palliative sedation (PS) is a common practice in the palliative care of cancer patients in Western countries, there is little related research on the practice in Korea. PS can be classified into several categories according to sedation level and continuity. PS is clearly distinct from euthanasia. While euthanasia is illegal and regarded as unethical in Korea, there is little ethical and legal controversy about PS in terms of the doctrine of double effect. Most studies have asserted that PS does not shorten the survival of terminal cancer patients. Since preference for PS heavily depends on stakeholder value, it should be preceded by shared decision-making through full communication among the patient, family members, and medical team. This is a narrative review article analyzing previous studies, especially from the three Eastern Asian countries, Korea, Japan and Taiwan, which share similar cultures compared with Western countries. Practical issues concerning PS—for example, prevalence, type and dosage of medications, salvage medication, timing of its initiation, and assessment—are described in detail.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Current Practice of Palliative Sedation in Dutch Nursing Homes
Jacqueline Wallage, Miriam L. Haaksma, Teun van Gelder, Wilco P. Achterberg, Maartje S. Klapwijk
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.2026; 27(5): 106137. CrossRef
Continuous Sedation in Palliative Care in Portugal: A Prospective Multicentric Study
José António Ferraz-Gonçalves, Alice Flores, Ana Abreu Silva, Ana Simões, Carmen Pais, Clarisse Melo, Diana Pirra, Dora Coelho, Lília Conde, Lorena Real, Madalena Feio, Manuel Barbosa, Maria de Lurdes Martins, Marlene Areias, Rafael Muñoz-Romero, Rita Cun
Journal of Palliative Care.2025; 40(1): 72. CrossRef
Attitudes and practices of hospice physicians regarding palliative sedation: a cross-sectional descriptive study
Mengmeng Chen, Zhigang Li, Jiejie Niu, Zhen Zhang, Jiachen Qi, Guijun Lu, Yi Feng
BMJ Open.2025; 15(9): e090907. CrossRef
Healthcare Providers’ Perspectives on the Communication Challenges When Discussing Palliative Sedation: A Qualitative Study Across Eight European Countries
Éva Pozsgai, Csilla Busa, Holger Brunsch, Michael Van der Elst, Sheila Payne, Nancy Preston, Ian Koper, Jeroen Hasselaar, Rocio Roji, Claudio Adile, Daniela Mosoiu, Camelia Ancuta, Ágnes Csikós
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2025; 14(18): 6653. CrossRef
Analyzing ethical dimensions of mental disorders: trends and key research areas through bibliometric methods
Bo Wang, Oyyappan Duraipandi
Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science.2025; 42: 54. CrossRef
Ethical and moral principles for oncology healthcare workers: A brief report from a Bioethics consortium emphasizing on need for education
Manjeshwar S. Baliga, Vijaya Marakala, Lal P. Madathil, Thomas George, Russell F. D’souza, Princy L. Palatty
Journal of Education and Health Promotion.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Survival Outcomes in Palliative Sedation Based on Referring Versus On-Call Physician Prescription
Cristina Lojo-Cruz, Juan Mora-Delgado, Víctor Rivas Jiménez, Fernando Carmona Espinazo, Juan-Bosco López-Sáez
Journal of Clinical Medicine.2023; 12(16): 5187. CrossRef
Current Status and Future Directions of Research on Palliative Sedation
In Cheol Hwang
The Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care.2022; 25(4): 193. CrossRef
Legislation concerning Physician-assisted Suicide in Korea
Younsuck KOH
Korean Journal of Medical Ethics.2022; 25(4): 313. CrossRef

10,128 View
216 Download
8 Web of Science
9 Crossref

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search