The clinical picture of terminally ill patients with lung cancer

An investigation has been made with regard to the clinical picture of 87 terminally ill patients with lung cancer. It has yielded the following points. 1) Seven patients had been informed of their diagnosis. 2) Intravenous hyperalimentation was administered in 78 cases (90%), oxygen therapy in 68 cases (78%), and morphine in 35 cases (40%). 3) The most frequent cause of death in these patients was respiratory failure, due to progress of cancer, then infection, pleural, or pericardial effusion, or interstitial pneumonitis. 4) Psychic disturbances involved anxiety over breathing, depression, and delirium. In only 12% of the patients did the mental condition seem normal until death. 5) To deal with the dying patient's needs, it is necessary to establish proper treatment for the control of sensory dyspnea and for psychosocial support by a psychiatrist and other professionals for members of the family.