Symptom management is the cornerstone of good palliative care. Although symptoms such as pain, nausea and dyspnoea are readily assessed and the frequent focus of research studies, other prevalent symptoms receive less attention in research studies and are often unaddressed in clinical practice. This may be because either the symptom is not highlighted by the patient or the healthcare team feels that treatment options are limited to the extent that symptom enquiry is futile. These symptoms can have a significant impact on remaining quality of life so should be addressed.