Symptoms During the Terminal Stage of Cancer
May 16, 2022
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Peng Xiaodong
Introduction
Most cancer patients exhibit diverse and complex symptoms, which are typically nonspecific. Clinically, patients with advanced cancer often experience a constellation of symptoms near end-of-life involving the respiratory and central nervous systems—including pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, cachexia, and nutritional imbalances. Pain is one of the hallmark manifestations in patients with advanced cancer.
In today’s society, the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer is increasing. As cancer is a particularly stubborn and often incurable disease, many patients inevitably progress to the terminal phase. What, then, are the clinical manifestations during the terminal (end-of-life) stage of cancer?
Clinical Manifestations During the Terminal Stage of Cancer
Symptoms among most cancer patients are diverse and complex, with no single pathognomonic feature. Clinically, patients with advanced cancer commonly experience a constellation of symptoms—particularly those involving the respiratory and central nervous systems—as they approach end-of-life. These include pain, gastrointestinal disturbances, cachexia, and nutritional imbalances. Pain: This is one of the hallmark features in terminally ill cancer patients. Pain may arise not only from direct involvement of nerves, blood vessels, or other organs by the tumor but also from treatment-related side effects and psychological factors, leading to complex pain responses such as headache and fever.
Gastrointestinal symptoms: When the malignancy involves the gastrointestinal tract, it can impair GI function, resulting in nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, and abdominal pain. Cachexia: Primarily caused by excessive consumption of nutrients by cancer cells and infiltration of vital organs and tissues, this syndrome manifests clinically as generalized weakness, somnolence, and sleep disturbances.
Patients with advanced cancer frequently experience a marked decline in appetite prior to death, which may lead to profound physical weakness, weight loss, anemia, malnutrition, and metabolic abnormalities. Dyspnea is another common spontaneous symptom in the terminal phase; it may be accompanied by cough, hemoptysis, dysphagia, chest tightness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and tachycardia. We hope this information proves helpful to you!
