The goal of this study was to identify the symptoms of patients with advanced cancer. One hundred consecutive patients referred to the Palliative Care Service at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation were studied using a standard tool that included questions on 38 specific symptoms. The most common symptoms were pain, weight loss, and anorexia. Significant findings also included that women had more frequent and severe gastrointestinal complaints than men. These do not appear to be related to specific cancer primary sites.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer and kills more people than any other malignancy. We describe the symptoms experienced in persons with lung cancer. Data on 100 consecutive patients were collected prospectively using a standard assessment tool. The median number of symptoms was nine. The most common and severe symptoms were pain (86), dyspnoea (70) and anorexia (68). There were no differences between males and females. Males aged 64 and under had higher incidences of easy fatigue, taste changes and sleep problems. Men over 64 had higher incidences of cough and >10% weight loss. Although there was a general increase in the number of symptoms as the performance status worsened, those with the poorest performance status reported the fewest symptoms. Since there is little effective treatment for most lung cancers, clinical management, research and resources should be directed by, and targeted to, palliative care.

Routine screening for sleep problems during therapy is indicated for children with craniopharyngioma, to optimize the timing of interventions and reduce long-term morbidity.

We describe the prescribing pattern for ambulatory patients of a Palliative Care Service in a tertiary care medical center. We audited 81 outpatient medication records to describe the drugs required for symptom control in patients with advanced cancer; 17 therapeutic drug classifications were used. The most frequently prescribed drug classes were analgesics, followed by laxatives and antiemetics. Individual drugs most commonly used were morphine, docusate sodium, and ranitidine. Symptom control in a multisymptomatic population can be achieved with a limited number of drugs. Education of physicians and nurses in the therapeutics of palliative care should focus on the indications, efficacy, and side effects of commonly used effective drugs.

Neurologic impairment in pediatric LGGs varies by tumor location, and PSIs greater than 3 months affect some functionally important neurologic outcomes.