Which type of chemotherapy focuses on prolonging life and reducing pain in end-of-life care?

Palliative chemotherapy is specifically designed to prolong life and alleviate symptoms without the intent of curing the disease. It focuses on improving the quality of life for patients who are in an advanced stage of cancer or navigating end-of-life care. This approach aims to reduce pain and manage other distressing symptoms associated with cancer or its treatments, allowing the patient to maintain functionality and comfort as much as possible.

In contrast, other types of chemotherapy, such as combination chemotherapy, generally involve using multiple drugs to maximize treatment effectiveness, often with curative intent. Metronomic chemotherapy refers to a schedule of low-dose treatment given continuously over time, focusing more on anti-angiogenic effects rather than immediate symptom relief. Lastly, sanctuary chemotherapy is not a widely recognized term in the context of standard treatment options, and therefore doesn’t pertain to the aspect of improving patient quality of life in terminal settings.

Thus, palliative chemotherapy stands out as the most appropriate choice for its specific focus on enhancing the patient's comfort and quality of life during end-of-life care.