ReviewCurrent opinion in supportive and palliative care2015
The last days of life: symptom burden and impact on nutrition and hydration in cancer patients.
Review in Current opinion in supportive and palliative care, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 121 citations in OpenAlex.
- Medically assisted hydration for adults receiving palliative care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- The Effect of Resistance Training on Body Composition During and After Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Delirium in the Palliative Care Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of dignity therapy on psychological distress and wellbeing of palliative care patients and family caregivers - a randomized controlled study.BMC palliative care · 2024Trial
- Are patients receiving specialist palliative care thirsty? A qualitative interview study.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- AKiPal: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Pilot and Feasibility Study of a Nurse-Led Acupressure Intervention in Palliative and Hospice Care on Symptom Burden and Body Awareness.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Managing Fluid Retention in Terminal Pancreatic Cancer: The Effect of Discontinuing Intravenous Fluids.Cureus · 2026Article
- Translation and validation of the Portuguese version of the "Care of the Dying Evaluation".Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2026Observational
- Review
- Healthcare Professionals' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Toward Providing Artificial Nutrition and Hydration for Patients With Terminal Cancer.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Article
- Article
- Nurses' perception of thirst in patients within palliative home care: a qualitative study.BMC nursing · 2024Article
- Fluid therapy is associated with lower care quality and higher symptom burden during last days of life of patients with cancer - a population-based register study.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Cancer cachexia: A scoping review on non-pharmacological interventions.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2024Article
- Resources to Support Decision-Making Regarding End-of-Life Nutrition Care in Long-Term Care: A Scoping Review.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Noninvasive monitoring technologies to identify discomfort and distressing symptoms in persons with limited communication at the end of life: a scoping review.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Article
- Analysis of Changes in the Selected Nutritional Parameters of Patients within a Year from the Admission to the Enteral Nutrition Clinic.Nutrients · 2023Article
- Article
- Perceptions and Knowledge Regarding Medical Situations at the End of Life among Older Adults in Switzerland.Journal of palliative medicine · 2023Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purpose of reviewTo examine the symptom burden in cancer patients during the last days of life, its impact on nutrition and hydration, and the role of artificial nutrition and hydration in the final days. RECENT
findingsDuring the last days of life, cancer patients often experience progressive functional decline and worsening symptom burden. Many symptoms such as anorexia-cachexia, dysphagia, and delirium could impair oral intake. These, coupled with refractory cachexia, contribute to persistent weight loss and decreased quality of life. Furthermore, the inability to eat/drink and body image changes can result in emotional distress for patients and caregivers. Clinicians caring for these individuals need to ensure longitudinal communication about goals of care, education about the natural process of dying, optimization of symptom management, and provide appropriate emotional support for patients and caregivers. There is a lack of evidence to support that artificial nutrition and hydration can improve outcomes during the last days of life. Artificial nutrition is not recommended because of its invasive nature, whereas artificial hydration may be considered on a case-by-case basis. SUMMARY: This review highlights the need to conduct further research on symptom burden, nutrition, and hydration during the last days of life.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.