Table 3.
The documentation of symptoms. (Due to the small numbers, only the three commonest documented symptoms at the time of first- and second-line chemotherapy and best supportive care decision are shown here).
| Symptom | First-line palliative chemotherapy (n = 50) |
Second-line palliative chemotherapy (n = 28) |
Best supportive care (n = 48) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain documented as: | |||
| Present controlled | 15 (30%) | 19 (68%) | 15 (31%) |
| Present uncontrolled | 10 (20%) | 4 (14%) | 23 (48%) |
| Absent documented | 15 (30%) | 2 (7%) | 7 (15%) |
| Not recorded | 10 (20%) | 3 (11%) | 3 (6%) |
| Breathlessness documented as: | |||
| Present controlled | 7 (14%) | 10 (36%) | 6 (13%) |
| Present uncontrolled | 3 (6%) | 1 (4%) | 15 (31%) |
| Absent documented | 20 (40%) | 8 (28%) | 20 (43%) |
| Not recorded | 20 (40%) | 9 (32%) | 7 (15%) |
| Nausea and Vomiting documented as: | |||
| Present controlled | 8 (16%) | 4 (14%) | 15 (31%) |
| Present uncontrolled | 3 (6%) | 1 (4%) | 2 (4%) |
| Absent documented | 21 (42%) | 15 (54%) | 21 (44%) |
| Not recorded | 18 (36%) | 8 (28%) | 10 (21%) |