Suffering in palliative oncology care

The announcement of a diagnosis of metastatic cancer is a shattering experience for patients and their caregivers alike. Often apprehended as a real shock, this diagnosis highlights human vulnerability in the face of a form of multidimensional global suffering (physical, psychic, social and spiritual), marking a stage of so-called existential rupture.

Such a situation calls into question caregivers' ability to take early charge of all these dimensions, while revealing the gap between a technicalized approach to care (treat/cure) and the need for truly holistic management of suffering (take care/care). It thus calls for the mobilization of an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach capable of forming an early, person-centered "community of care".

This Research Day aims to explore these fundamental issues:

• How can we better apprehend suffering and existential rupture as soon as the diagnosis of metastatic cancer is announced?
• How to initiate comprehensive, early, person-centered care aimed at improving quality of life beyond end-of-life care?
• How to form a genuine interdisciplinary and intersectoral "caring community" (Caring community) capable of providing this care in a diversified care system?
• What organizational, legal and ethical issues need to be taken into account to enable its implementation?

The particularity of this day lies in the integration, of patient partners and family caregivers, as full players in the dialogue with speakers and day participants. By placing their experiences at the heart of the exchanges, this approach is part of a paradigm shift in the way we approach the theme of suffering and its management in palliative care. It also gives full recognition to the experience and expertise of those directly involved, while paving the way for closer, more supportive collaboration.

This international research day is organized by the Chair of Special Moral Theology and Christian Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology (University of Fribourg), in collaboration with its academic partners in Switzerland (Interdisciplinary Institute of Ethics and Human Rights) and Quebec (Faculty of Pharmacy at Laval University, QC, Canada).

For more information:
https://event.fourwaves.com/fr/journeederecherche-2025/pages