Existential concerns in late stage cancer.

In health care, it is generally acknowledged that individuals experiencing cancer illness and dying of cancer face a challenging time. Oncology and palliative care have responded by developing an expertise of treatment and care. The opportunity to receive the best of health care is accepted as an important concern to patients. However, recent research explains that many areas of dying cancer patients' concerns remain undisclosed and unresolved (Heaven & Maguire 1997). The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify dying cancer patients' concerns with the aim of developing a Concerns Questionnaire to further explore the relationship between patients' concerns and psychological and physical distress. In-depth interviews were carried out with 21 patients with advanced cancer who had been told they were no longer to receive curative treatments. Content analysis of the interview transcripts showed that existential concerns were a significant issue for these patients. Furthermore, patients' opportunity for reflection, personal change and inner discovery at the end of their illness could be enhanced by earlier experiences of holistic cancer care.