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Background: Prognostic uncertainty is common in advanced cancer and frequently addressed during palliative care consultation, yet we know little about its impact on quality of life (QOL).

Objective: We describe the prevalence and distribution of distress due to prognostic uncertainty among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer before palliative care consultation. We evaluate the association between this type of distress and overall QOL before and after palliative care consultation.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Setting & Participants: Hospitalized patients with advanced cancer who receive a palliative care consultation at two geographically distant academic medical centers.

Measurements: At the time of enrollment, before palliative care consultation, we asked participants: “Over the past two days, how much have you been bothered by uncertainty about what to expect from the course of your illness …