Managing symptoms of patients with cancer in palliative care

Patients with cancer experience a range of symptoms that can be directly due to the cancer or are a cancer-related complication. Common symptoms requiring assessment and management include:

• pain
• nausea
• insomnia
• constipation
• anorexia and weight loss
• fatigue
• functional decline
• emotional and psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, depressed mood and distress.

Management of symptoms in patients with palliative care needs with cancer depends on potential benefits and burdens of treatment, and the patient’s prognosis, preferences (including preferred care setting) and goals of care—see Principles of symptom management in palliative care. Create a symptom management plan that takes into account the often interrelated nature of physical and nonphysical symptoms, and functional impairment.