Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Delirium in palliative care.

Miriam M Friedlander1, Yanina Brayman, William S Breitbart

  • 1Psychiatry Service, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA. friedlm1@mskcc.org

Oncology (Williston Park, N.Y.)
|December 22, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Delirium is common in advanced cancer patients, often signaling serious illness. Early recognition and treatment are crucial but frequently missed, impacting end-of-life care.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Distress Management, Version 1.2026.

Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN·2026
Same author

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Trials·2026
Same author

Development of a Novel Psychosocial Intervention to Improve Symptom Management for Adolescents and Young Adults with Advanced or Recurrent Cancer.

Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology·2026
Same author

Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy for Cancer Caregivers Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Research square·2026
Same author

The 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> Annual U.S. World Hospice and Palliative Care Day conferences: Unifying the global palliative care community.

Palliative & supportive care·2025
Same author

Meaning-centered pain coping skills training for patients with metastatic cancer: Protocol for a randomized controlled efficacy trial.

Contemporary clinical trials·2023

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Geriatrics
  • Palliative Care

Background:

  • Delirium is prevalent in advanced cancer patients, often indicating significant physiological disturbance.
  • It is frequently unrecognized or misdiagnosed, leading to inadequate treatment in terminally ill patients.
  • Causes include infection, organ failure, medication side effects, and paraneoplastic syndromes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the prevalence and challenges in diagnosing delirium in advanced cancer.
  • To discuss the clinical features, subtypes, and differential diagnosis of delirium.
  • To review management strategies, including etiological investigation, symptom management, and pharmacologic approaches.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of delirium in advanced cancer.
  • Analysis of clinical features, diagnostic challenges, and management strategies.
  • Discussion of diagnostic instruments and therapeutic interventions.

Main Results:

  • Delirium presents with diverse neuropsychiatric symptoms and has hyperactive, hypoactive, and mixed subtypes.
  • Differential diagnosis includes depression, mania, psychosis, and dementia.
  • Effective management involves identifying and correcting etiologies, alongside symptomatic and supportive therapies.

Conclusions:

  • Delirium is a critical issue in advanced cancer care requiring improved recognition and management.
  • Standard management involves etiological investigation and symptom control.
  • Controversies remain regarding neuroleptic use in managing delirium in dying patients.

Related Experiment Videos