Objective To understand the suffering experiences in advanced cancer patients with a view to providing reference for personalized interventions. Methods The descriptive phenomenological method was employed for purposive sampling. From April to June 2022,15 advanced cancer patients undergoing palliative care in a tertiary cancer hospital in Hunan Province received in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed, summarized, and refined using Colaizzi′s 7-step analysis method. Results Three themes and 9 subthemes were extracted of the suffering experienced in the advanced cancer patients:loss-related suffering (loss of self-integrity, loss of self-dignity, loss of self-worth, loss of life meaning); alienation-related suffering (alienation of social relationship and alienation of emotional connection); death-related suffering (fearful thought of death, unsettling anxiety about death, and expecting relief from death). Conclusion The suffering experiences in advanced cancer patients constitute multiple dimensions of alienation, loss, and death featuring diversity and individuality, and targeted interventions should be provided to improve their quality of life.