Is breathlessness what the professional says it is? Analysis of patient and professionals' assessments from a German nationwide register.

Purpose: Breathlessness is a common and distressing symptom in patients with advanced disease. Patients' self-report is deemed to be the most valid method of symptom assessment. When patients are not capable of self-assessment, professionals' assessment is often used as alternative but evidence on the validity is conflicting.

What is special about patients with lung cancer and pulmonary metastases in palliative care? Results from a nationwide survey.

Background: Patients with advanced lung cancer constitute a special focus in palliative care not only for epidemiological or prognostic reasons, but also because their symptom burden is felt to be widespread and difficult to treat. This study describes disease-specific characteristics and the symptom burden of patients with advanced incurable lung cancer, comparing them with patients suffering from other diseaseentities.

Methods: A secondary analysis of the nationwide Hospice and Palliative Care Evaluation (HOPE) was performed, by focussing on inpatient hospice and palliative care unit patients and by using descriptive methods.

[Management of refractory dyspnoea in patients with advanced diseases - evidence-based update for clinical practice].

Many patients with advanced diseases complain about refractory breathlessness when breathlessness is present although the underlying disease is optimal treated. After exclusion of potential curable causes of breathlessness, management of refractory breathlessness includes general approaches, pharmacological (opioids) and non-pharmacological (e.g.