The Associations Between Spirituality (S), Religiosity (R), And Spiritual Pain (Sp) In Advanced Cancer Patients (Adca).

9071 Background: S, R and SP may affect AdCa patients' symptom expression, coping strategies and quality of life. Limited research is available to define these concepts. In this prospective cross sectional study, we examined this association and various factors, including symptom expression and coping. Methods: We interviewed 100 AdCa patients in our palliative care outpatient clinic. Self-rated S, R and SP were assessed using numeric rating scales (0=lowest, 10=highest). Patients also completed various validated questionnaires assessing symptoms (ESAS), psychosocial distress (HADS), coping (Brief COPE, Brief R-COPE), and S (FACIT-Sp-Ex, SBI-15R). Results: The median age was 53 (range 21-85), 61% were female, 74% were Caucasian, 88% were Christians, and 4% were atheists. Almost all patients considered themselves spiritual (98%) and religious (98%), with a median score of 9 (interquartile range 7-10) and 9 (5-10), respectively. Patients reported S/R help them cope with their illness (99%), as a source of strength (100%), and have a positive impact on their physical (69%) and emotional (84%) symptoms. SP was reported in 40/91 (44%) patients, with a median score of 3 (1-6) among those with SP. Patients with SP expressed less S (median 8 v. 10, p=0.02), less R (7 v. 10, p=0.002), and were more likely to report that SP make their physical (6 v. 0, p<0.001) and emotional symptoms (6 v. 0, p<0.001) worse. SP was associated with worse ESAS depression (2 v. 1, p=0.014), anxiety (2 v. 1, p=0.03), drowsiness (3 v. 1, p=0.004) and anorexia (4.5 v. 3, p=0.04), worse HADS anxiety (8 v. 6, p=0.04), worse COPE religious coping (6 v. 7.5, p=0.03), worse Brief R-COPE positive religious coping (20 v. 24, p=0.046), and lower SBI-15R religious beliefs/practices (25 v. 28, p=0.019). SP was significantly associated with FACIT-Sp- Ex (p<0.005). After Bonferroni correction, only decreased religiosity was associated with SP. Conclusions: A vast majority of AdCa patients seen by palliative care considered themselves spiritual and religious. Patients reported that S, R and SP affect their symptoms and ability to cope. These findings support regular spiritual assessment in AdCa patients. No significant financial relationships to disclose.