A brief review of survival prediction of advanced cancer patients.

Survival prediction of advanced cancer patients remains an important task for palliative clinicians. It has transformed from an art form into a more scientific branch of the discipline with the evolution of palliative medicine and use of statistical estimates of survival. Both clinician predicted survival and actuarial estimation of survival have their uses and drawbacks. This article gives a practical and quick summary of the pros and cons of clinician survival prediction and actuarial-based prognostic tools used at the bedside.