Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26253587›Full record

ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2016

Factors associated with aggressive end of life cancer care.

Lesley A Henson, Barbara Gomes, Jonathan Koffman, Barbara A Daveson, Irene J Higginson, Wei Gao, BuildCARE

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

Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
6.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Oncology-embedded supportive care and end-of-life outcomes: a comparative study of hospice-eligible Muslim patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026
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  19. Equal receipt of specialized palliative care in breast and prostate cancer: a register study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022
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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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lesley A HensonKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK. lesley.henson@kcl.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4799-7365
Barbara GomesKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK.
Jonathan KoffmanKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK.
Barbara A DavesonKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK.
Irene J HigginsonKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK.
Wei GaoKing's College London, Department of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, Bessemer Road, London, SE5 9PJ, UK.
BuildCARE
King's College London · GBCicely Saunders International · GB

Funding

Department of Health 09/2000/58
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany patients with cancer experience aggressive care towards the end of life (EOL) despite evidence of an association with poor outcomes such as prolonged pain and overall dissatisfaction with care. PURPOSE: To investigate socio-demographic, clinical and community health care service factors associated with aggressive EOL cancer care.

methodsAn analysis of pooled data from two mortality follow-back surveys was performed. Aggressive EOL care was defined as greater than or equal to one of the following indicators occurring during the last 3 months of life: greater than or equal to two emergency department visits, ≥30 days in hospital and death in hospital.

resultsOf the 681 included patients, 50.1% were men and mean age at death was 75 years. The majority of patients (59.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 55.6-63.0%) experienced at least one indicator of aggressive EOL care: 29.7% experienced greater than or equal to two ED visits, 17.1% spent ≥30 days in hospital and 37.9% died in hospital. Patients with prostate or haematological cancer were more likely to experience aggressive EOL care (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.36, 95% CI 1.39-13.70, and 4.16, 95% CI 1.38-12.47, respectively, reference group lung cancer). Patients who received greater than five general practitioner (GP) home visits (AOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.17-0.82, reference group no GP visits) or had contact with district nursing (AOR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28-0.83, reference group no contact) or contact with community palliative care services (AOR 0.27, 95% CI 0.15-0.49, reference group no contact) were less likely to experience aggressive EOL care. No association was found between aggressive EOL care and patients' age, gender, marital, financial or health status.

conclusionsCommunity health care services, in particular contact with community palliative care, are associated with a significant reduction in the odds of cancer patients receiving aggressive EOL care. Expansion of such services may help address the current capacity crises faced by many acute health care systems.

Indexed as

AgedFemaleHospitalsHumansMaleMiddle AgedPalliative CareTerminal CareCommunity health servicesEmergency serviceHospitalHospital mortalityNeoplasmsPalliative careTerminal care

Identifiers

PMID26253587
PMCPMC4729799
OpenAlexW2110951242

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
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.