UI - 000201

AU - Coyle N

AU - Adelhardt J

AU - Foley KM

AU - Portenoy RK

TI - Character of terminal illness in the advanced cancer patient: pain and other symptoms during

the last four weeks of life [see comments]

AB - AB - There is a great variability among advanced cancer patients in the experience of symptoms and

their impact on life's activities. A subgroup of difficult patients particularly tax the clinical skills and

compassion of practitioners. Although the need for information about these patients is evident, their

characteristics have not been explored heretofore. We describe our experience with such patients, a group

referred to the Supportive Care Program of the Pain Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Prevalence of pain and other symptoms, patterns of opioid use and routes of drug administration, and the

prevalence of suicidal ideation and requests for euthanasia are discussed UI - 90270702

SO - J Pain Symptom Manage 1990;5:83-9

UI - 000127