TY - JOUR T1 - Symptom prevalence and severity in palliative cancer medicine JF - BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care JO - BMJ Support Palliat Care DO - 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002357 SP - bmjspcare-2020-002357 AU - Kath Webber AU - Andrew Neil Davies AU - Charlotte Leach AU - Melanie Waghorn Y1 - 2021/06/15 UR - http://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2021/06/15/bmjspcare-2020-002357.abstract N2 - Objectives To establish symptom prevalence and associated distress in a large cohort of UK patients with cancer referred to a palliative care team.Methods This is a secondary analysis of two large data sets of patients with advanced cancer. Each patient had completed the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale-Short Form to assess 32 symptoms and related distress. Data frequencies were conducted in Excel.Results 1507 patients were recruited. The most common symptoms were lack of energy (89%), pain (83%), feeling drowsy (77%) and dry mouth (70%). 67% of patients had psychological symptoms, with 31% of all patients having significant psychological distress.Conclusions Symptom burden is significant in palliative patients with cancer. Structured symptom assessment with access to relevant supportive services is recommended. ER -