In patients with end-stage cancer, death is a very likely outcome and whether the drug is the cause or a bystander is often difficult to discern.

Cachexia is often seen in end-stage cancer, and in that context is called "cancer cachexia".

"You're talking about a patient with end-stage cancer who is afraid to use opioids because she's seen what addiction has done to her family," Walker says.

With rising medical care costs and an increase in extremely expensive new anti-cancer medications, the same issues of equity often arise in treatment of end-stage cancer.

Nearly all had end-stage cancer, according to the state report.

Its use includes treatment for acute pain, such as in severe physical trauma, myocardial infarction, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain, including end-stage cancer and other terminal illnesses.

One trial is even studying a variant of Dr. Kelley's regimen for end-stage pancreatic cancer.

Several modern studies have investigated the possibility that psilocybin can ease the psychological suffering associated with end-stage cancer.

On April 17, 2012, Helm's wife Sandy and daughter Amy revealed that Helm had end-stage cancer.

She had end-stage cancer and on February 2, 2006, doctors told her family that she only had a few hours to live.