Myöhäisvaihe

Myöhäisvaihe is a Finnish term that denotes the late or advanced phase of a process, condition, or disease. It is used to describe situations where progression has reached an advanced level, often with greater impact on function, symptoms, and prognosis. The exact interpretation of what constitutes the myöhäisvaihe varies between contexts and guidelines.

In medical use, myöhäisvaihe typically refers to diseases in which treatment options are limited and the focus shifts toward comfort, symptom management, and quality of life. In oncology, for example, late-stage cancer generally corresponds to advanced disease such as metastasis or stage IV disease, where curative treatment is unlikely and palliative care is emphasized. In neurology, chronic illnesses like advanced dementia may be described as being in the myöhäisvaihe, with significant cognitive and functional decline. Definitions and thresholds are disease-specific and may depend on clinical criteria, imaging findings, or patient condition.

The term is common in patient information, clinical discussions, and care planning, where it helps communicate prognosis and care goals without prescribing a fixed numeric stage. It is also used more broadly outside medicine to indicate the final phase of a project, program, or lifecycle.

Etymology: the word combines myöhäinen (late) and vaihe (phase or stage). See also varhaisvaihe (early stage) and keskivaihe (mid stage) as related terms.