Stress and coping with advanced cancer.

Objective: For people with advanced cancer, the months preceding death can be very stressful. Moreover, cancer-related stressors can arise within multiple dimensions. However, little research has examined how people cope differentially with different types of stressors.

Structured interview assessment of symptoms and concerns in palliative care.

Objective: Assessment in palliative care requires a multidimensional review of physical symptoms and psychosocial concerns in a format appropriate for patients with advanced illness. In this study, we describe the initial development and validation of a structured interview for assessing common symptoms and concerns faced by terminally ill individuals.

Method: We constructed a 13-item Structured Interview for Symptoms and Concerns (SISC) based on a review of end-of-life issues and administered it to 69 patients receiving palliative care for advanced cancer.