Foreword. In an era where the buzz term 'patient-centered medical home' commands significant attention in medical and political arenas.

摘要

In an era where the buzz term "patient-centered medical home" commands significant attention in medical and political arenas, now greater than ever is the importance of recognizing the vital role that the primary care team plays in caring for the patient with cancer. Over the past decades, our role as primary care physicians (PCPs) has progressed. Earlier, we simply preached cancer prevention and followed clinical guidelines to prompt early cancer screening and diagnosis, referring our patients with cancer to specialists, with the result that we often "lost track" of them and left their final stages of health care to the specialists. In many of today's practices, the role of the PCP has expanded to a more dynamic one, in which we integrate care for our patients who will survive their cancer and coordinate care of the dying cancer patient via palliative and hospice care. On an educational level, we are training more PCPs than ever before to be adept at such clinical management through dedicated residency curricula and specialized postgraduate fellowships. Interest and research in palliative and hospice care is rapidly gaining in both popularity and demand.