8 Signs the End is Near for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Terminal cancer is difficult time as the endless wait for death seems the only option. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas have identified eight clinical signs that shows end is days away.

The eight signs are nonreactive pupils, decreased response to verbal stimuli, decreased response to visual stimuli, inability to close eyelids, drooping of the nasolabial fold, neck hyperextension, grunting of vocal cords and upper gastrointestinal bleeding according to Yahoo Health.

Xinhua reported that the study's lead author David Hui and his team systematically studied 52 clinical signs in 357 cancer patients from the time they were admitted. By the end of the study 57 had died. The eight signs identified can indicate death is imminent in three days.

"In the past, studies trying to understand the signs associated with impending death were conducted in people who were recognized as dying, so there's a potential bias built into this model. With our study, we observed a list of signs in patients from the time they were admitted to the palliative care unit. They were observed systematically, twice a day, without knowing if the patient would die or be discharged," says Hui in a news release.

Knowing the time at hand can help make patients and the family make crucial personal decisions including preparing for death.