Anxiety John L. Shuster Anxiety is an experience of worry, apprehension, unease, tension, or nervousness that is unpleasant and distressing. Almost any person facing a serious illness will experience some…

Treating Depression at the End of Life Donna B. Greenberg DEPRESSION Sadness is a natural emotion in the setting of illness and particularly grave illness. Sickness stands in the way…

Recognizing and Managing Delirium Scott A. Irwin Gary T. Buckholz Rosene D. Pirrello Jeremy M. Hirst Frank D. Ferris INTRODUCTION Delirium is an important medical diagnosis defined as an acute…

Management of Spinal Cord and Cauda Equina Compression Sharon M. Weinstein EPIDEMIOLOGY The spine is the most frequent site of bony involvement in patients with metastatic malignancy (1). The major…

Management of Intracranial Metastases Caroline Chung Normand Laperriere INTRODUCTION Brain metastases are the most common brain tumors in cancer patients. The incidence is 10% to 40% in all cancer patients…

Infectious Complications/Management Jennifer M. Cuellar-Rodríguez Juan C. Gea-Banacloche Cancer patients have a significantly increased risk of infections (1,2). Risk factors for this increased susceptibility of infection are directly related to…

Metabolic Disorders in the Cancer Patient Irene M. O’Shaughnessy Albert L. Jochen Endocrine disorders occur in individuals with advanced malignancy under various circumstances. Cancer may produce effects through the excess…

Hypercalcemia Howard Su-Hau Yeh James R. Berenson INTRODUCTION Background and Epidemiology Hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM), characterized by high serum levels of calcium, is the leading malignancy-related metabolic complication in hospital…

Impact of Hepatic and Renal Dysfunction on Pharmacology of Palliative Care Drugs Thomas Strouse OVERVIEW Diminished liver and kidney function are common in palliative care patients. These alterations may be…

Urologic Issues in Palliative Care Eric A. Singer Faisal Ahmed Compton J. Benjamin Adam R. Metwalli Peter A. Pinto INTRODUCTION Urologic malignancies account for more than 40% of all new…