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Symptom prevalence and severity in palliative cancer medicine
Kath Webber1, Andrew Neil Davies2, Charlotte Leach2
1Department of Supportive and Palliative Care, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford, UK kwebber1@nhs.net.
Objectives:
To establish symptom prevalence and associated distress in a large cohort of UK patients with cancer referred to a palliative care team.
Methods:
This is a secondary analysis of two large data sets of patients with advanced cancer. Each patient had completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form to assess 32 symptoms and related distress. Data frequencies were conducted in Excel.
Results:
1507 patients were recruited. The most common symptoms were lack of energy (89%), pain (83%), feeling drowsy (77%) and dry mouth (70%). 67% of patients had psychological symptoms, with 31% of all patients having significant psychological distress.
Conclusions:
Symptom burden is significant in palliative patients with cancer. Structured symptom assessment with access to relevant supportive services is recommended.
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