Living with suffering as voiced by Thai patients with terminal advanced cancer.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in Thailand. Thai cancer patients often seek medical treatment while in advanced stages of the disease. This longitudinal qualitative study aimed to describe the suffering that patients with terminal advanced cancer experience in their everyday life. A series of interviews were conducted and patient observation performed with 15 patients with terminal advanced cancer. Thematic analysis was applied and the overriding theme of the end-of-life experiences was living with suffering. Five inter-related sub-themes regarding the experience of suffering were identified in the informants' accounts, including physical symptom distress, feeling of alienation, sense of worthlessness, sense of burden to others, and desire for hastened death. The findings of this study can be of value for health professionals in cancer care in Thailand. Comprehensive end-of-life care programmes are needed to alleviate suffering in this group of patients.