ObjectiveTo characterize the symptom experience of a cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients at high risk for hospital death.DesignProspective analysis of patients with a present or past diagnosis of cancer who were consecutively admitted to a medical ICU during an 8-month period.SettingAcademic, university-affiliated, tertiary-care, urban medical center.PatientsOne hundred cancer patients treated in a medical ICU.InterventionAssessment of symptoms.MeasurementsPatients’ self-reports of symptoms using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), and ratings of pain or discomfort associated with ICU diagnostic/therapeutic procedures and of stress associated with conditions in the ICU.Main ResultsHospital mortality for the group was 56%. Fifty patients had the capacity to respond to the ESAS, among whom 100% provided symptom reports. Between 55% and 75% of ESAS responders reported experiencing pain, discomfort, anxiety, sleep disturbance, or unsatisfied hunger or thirst that they rated as moderate or severe, whereas depression and dyspnea at these levels were reported by approximately 40% and 33% of responders, respectively. Significant pain, discomfort, or both were associated with common ICU procedures, but most procedure-related symptoms were controlled adequately for a majority of patients. Inability to communicate, sleep disruption, and limitations on visiting were particularly stressful among ICU conditions studied.ConclusionsAmong critically ill cancer patients, multiple distressing symptoms were common in the ICU, often at significant levels of severity. Symptom assessment may suggest more effective strategies for symptom control and may direct decisions about appropriate use of ICU therapies.