Definition of Treatment, symptomatic
Treatment, symptomatic: Therapy that eases the symptoms without addressing the basic cause of the disease.
For example, symptomatic treatment of advanced lung cancer that has spread (metastasized) beyond the lung is designed to decrease the pain and other symptoms but not to eradicate the disease.
Symptomatic treatment is also called palliative treatment.
Last Editorial Review: 6/14/2012
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