TABLE 4.

UB themes invoked by advanced cancer patients

UB Theme	Coding Definition	Sample Response	n (%)
Overarching Themes
Unfinished Business	Not finished or concluded; incomplete business	“Seeing my daughter happily married and with healthy children”	198 (83.9%)
Unresolved Business	A problem, question, or dispute not resolved	“My relationship with my sister, although we are close, our personalities are very different.  We don’t always understand each other’s views or opinions and this leads to tension and stress that I want to resolve”	35 (14.8%)
Vague	Too vague to be categorized	“I’m hoping for the best”	3 (1.9%)
Specific Themes
Family-related goals and responsibilities	Desire to spend more time with family, witness family milestones, and be present for family	“My wife is pregnant and I want to see my daughter grow up”	60 (25.4%)
Relationships	Relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones	“My relationship with my daughter, at present she isn’t talking to me”	42 (17.8%)
Meaningful  activities/personal goals	Desire to engage in meaningful activities and/or accomplish personal goals	“Learning to really enjoy my life”	39 (16.5%)
Professional Work	Professional goals; desire for productivity	“I feel I have more to accomplish in my career”	27 (11.4%)
Organization of home and affairs	Getting affairs organized, estate planning, lessening burden of death for loved ones	“I need to get my home organized so everything isn’t a mess for my family”	25 (10.6%)
Travel	Unfinished trips, travel plans, and adventures	“Travel to New Zealand to meet my relatives”	18 (7.6%)
Legacy/Pursuit of purpose	Desire to contribute to society and others in a meaningful way; create a legacy	“Helping to make the world a better place through a project I’m involved in”	11 (4.7%)
Distress/worry	Fear, worry, distress, and disappointment about the future, one's choices, or life events	“I feel disappointed in how I’ve turned out as both a person and in what the effect of my life has been, I feel I’ve run out of time”	11 (4.7%)