the palliation of symptoms in patients who are near the end of life. This is despite the considerable energies that are spent in palliating symptoms in patients who 2 University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Canare receiving anticancer therapies at all disease stages. The management of pain cer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, has advanced considerably recently with improvements in pain assessment and Wisconsin.
pharmacologic interventions. However, elderly patients are less likely than younger patients to receive proper pain management. Elderly patients also are less likely to take opioids for pain because of their attitudes and beliefs. Fatigue, dyspnea, and psychologic issues also are of importance in the management of elderly cancer patients both during anticancer therapy and near the time of death. Some elderly cancer patients die in the care of a hospice, although many are not referred to this service. There are many barriers to the provision of palliative medicine and these may be related to health practitioners, to the patients themselves, or to the health care system of which they are part. The increased educational efforts of health professionals are needed to ensure that all patients, including the elderly, have adequate palliation of their cancer-related symptoms.