Symptoms of total pain experienced by older people with advanced gastrointestinal cancer receiving palliative chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about concurrent physical, psychological, social and spiritual distress experienced by older patients during early stages of advanced cancer while receiving life‐prolonging treatment. Drawing on the concept of total pain, this study explored the multi‐faceted symptoms of pain in older patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancer while receiving palliative chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 14 in‐depth interviews with seven participants were conducted, one interview at the beginning and one after completion of chemotherapy. Participants were ≥70 years, diagnosed with advanced gastrointestinal cancer and receiving palliative chemotherapy. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed four themes: variability and inevitability of physical pain, ways of coping with psychological pain, mitigating social pain through contributions to social life and the anticipation of existential pain in old age. Conducting two interviews with each participant foregrounded the changing nature of the participants' experienced symptoms and life perspectives while receiving palliative chemotherapy. Further, old age was experienced as integral to how participants described their situation and indicated an acceptance of old age. CONCLUSION: Older adults with advanced cancer are affected by multiple‐faceted symptoms resulting from cancer and its treatment. The concept of total pain is suggested to guide interdisciplinary palliative care in earlier stages of advanced cancer.