Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25810691›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2015

Palliative sedation for terminally ill cancer patients in a tertiary cancer center in Shanghai, China.

Xiaoli Gu, Wenwu Cheng, Menglei Chen, Minghui Liu, Zhe Zhang

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC palliative care, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Continuous sedation in adolescent and young adult cancer patients under home-based end-of-life care.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
    Observational
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Association between continuous deep sedation and survival time in terminally ill cancer patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Xiaoli GuDepartment of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 People's Republic of China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Wenwu ChengDepartment of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 People's Republic of China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Menglei ChenDepartment of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 People's Republic of China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Minghui LiuDepartment of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 People's Republic of China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Zhe ZhangDepartment of Integrated Therapy, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 People's Republic of China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, #270, Dong'An Road, Shanghai, 200032 China.
Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center · CNShanghai Medical College of Fudan University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere are a number of studies dedicated to characteristics of sedation, but these studies are mostly bound to western country practices. The aim of this study is to describe the characteristics of patients who suffered from cancer and who had been sedated until their death in Shanghai, China.

methodsRetrospective medical data of 244 terminally ill cancer patients including 82 sedated patients were collected. Data collected included demographic characteristics, disease-related characteristics and details of the sedation.

resultsIn sedated cases, patients and/or caregivers gave the consent to start palliative sedation due to unmanageable symptoms. On average, sedation was performed 24.65(±1.78)hours before death. Agitated delirium and dyspnea were the most frequent indications for palliative sedation. There was no significant difference in survival time from admission till death between sedated and non-sedated patients (p > 0.05).

conclusionsPalliative sedation is effective for reducing terminally ill cancer patients' suffering without hastening death. Prospective research is needed to determine the optimal conditions for Chinese patients including indications, decision making process, informed consent, cultural and ethical issues, type of sedation and drugs.

Indexed as

Agitated deliriumEnd of lifePalliative sedationSurvivalSymptom managementTerminally ill cancer patients

Identifiers

PMID25810691
PMCPMC4373517
OpenAlexW1997814153

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.