title: The meaning of suffering in patients with advanced progressive cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a lack of research into suffering and what it means to the individual patient with advanced cancer and its importance in end of life care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the concept of suffering and distress by eliciting what individual patients with advanced cancer perceived as suffering and how they utilised their own resources to manage suffering.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative study design of focused narrative interviews analysed by thematic analysis was conducted with a heterogeneous sample of 49 palliative day care patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For those patients who perceived they were suffering, this study revealed a wide spectrum of definitions which could be described within the following areas; the unavoidable and avoidable suffering, physical and emotional suffering, suffering as loss and finally transformation through suffering.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide important insight that broadens and enriches our understanding into the concept of suffering and how patients utilise their resources, which may have important implications for end of life care.
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
authors: Jackie
authors: J
authors: Ellis
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Cobb
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
authors: Tina
authors: T
authors: O'Connor
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
authors: Laurie
authors: L
authors: Dunn
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK.
authors: Greg
authors: G
authors: Irving
authors: Academic Palliative and Supportive Care Studies Group (APSCSG), Institute of Psychology Health and Society, University of Liverpool, UK mlw@liv.ac.uk.
authors: Mari
authors: M
authors: Lloyd-Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004644:Emotions; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Qualitative; advanced disease; cancer; end of life; palliative; suffering