ArticleSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2019
Family caregiver descriptions of stopping chemotherapy and end-of-life transitions.
Article in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- Shared decision-making in palliative cancer care: A systematic review and metasynthesis.Palliative medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions for interpersonal communication about end of life care between health practitioners and affected people.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Palliative care utilization in oncology and hemato-oncology: a systematic review of cognitive barriers and facilitators from the perspective of healthcare professionals, adult patients, and their families.BMC palliative care · 2020Pooled it
- The effect of a smartphone-based educational intervention on the supportive care needs of family caregivers of patients with colorectal cancer: a randomized controlled trial.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- Effects of the Values and Options in Cancer Care Communication Intervention on Personal Caregiver Experiences of Cancer Care and Bereavement Outcomes.Journal of palliative medicine · 2019Trial
- Willingness to bear adversity and beliefs about the curability of advanced cancer in older adults.Cancer · 2019Trial
- Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial of SONATA: A social network intervention for older adults with advanced cancer.Journal of geriatric oncology · 2026Article
- Emotional and Spiritual Challenges of Informal Caregivers: The Need for Early Mobile Palliative Care Support.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Hospice preference of the family decision-makers for cancer patients in China: an exploratory study.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Engaging African American family Caregivers in Developing a Culturally-responsive Interview Guide: A Multiphase Process and Approach.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2022Article
- A prospective cohort study assessing aggressive interventions at the end-of-life among patients with solid metastatic cancer.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Chemotherapy during the last 30 days of life and the role of palliative care referral, a single center experience.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Aggressiveness of end-of-life cancer care: what happens in clinical practice?Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2021Article
- Social networks of older patients with advanced cancer: Potential contributions of an integrated mixed methods network analysis.Journal of geriatric oncology · 2021Article
- The Impact of Varying Levels of Advance Care Planning Engagement on Perceptions of the End-of-Life Experience Among Caregivers of Deceased Patients With Cancer.The American journal of hospice & palliative care · 2020Article
- The impact of the caregiver-oncologist relationship on caregiver experiences of end-of-life care and bereavement outcomes.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Article
- Article
- Association between advanced cancer patient-caregiver agreement regarding prognosis and hospice enrollment.Cancer · 2019Article
- When chemotherapy fails: Emotionally charged experiences faced by family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer.Patient education and counseling · 2019Article
- Current Advances in Palliative & Hospice Care: Problems and Needs of Relatives and Family Caregivers During Palliative and Hospice Care-An Overview of Current Literature.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThe purpose of this study was to describe family caregivers' perspectives of the final month of life of patients with advanced cancer, particularly whether and how chemotherapy was discontinued and the effect of clinical decision-making on family caregivers' perceptions of the patient's experience of care at the end of life (EOL).
methodsQualitative descriptive design using semi-structured interviews collected from 92 family caregivers of patients with end-stage cancer enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. We used a phased approach to data analysis including open coding, focused coding, and within and across analyses.
resultsWe identified three patterns of transitions characterizing the shift away from active cancer treatment: (1) "We Pretty Much Knew," characterized by explicit discussions about EOL care, seemingly shared understanding about prognosis and seamless transitions from disease-oriented treatment to comfort-oriented care, (2) "Beating the Odds," characterized by explicit discussions about disease-directed treatment and EOL care options, but no shared understanding about prognosis and often chaotic transitions to EOL care, and (3) "Left to Die," characterized by no recall of EOL discussions with transitions to EOL occurring in crisis.
conclusionsAs communication and palliative care interventions continue to develop to improve care for patients with advanced cancer, it is imperative that we take into account the different patterns of transition and their unique patient and caregiver needs near the end of life. Our findings reveal considerable, and potentially unwarranted, variation in transitions from active treatment to death.
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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.