Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33446180›Full record

ArticleBMC palliative care2021

Impact of a specialised palliative care intervention in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma - a single-centre retrospective analysis.

F Brandes, J K Striefler, A Dörr, M Schmiester, S Märdian, G Koulaxouzidis, D Kaul, A Behzadi, P Thuss-Patience, J Ahn and 3 more

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

Article in BMC palliative care, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Twenty-five years of experience with patient-reported outcome measures in soft-tissue sarcoma patients: a systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Palliative care outpatient interventions to limit aggressive care at end-of-life for patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. 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

13 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

F Brandes *Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. franziska.brandes@charite.de.
J K Striefler *Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
A DörrDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
M SchmiesterDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
S MärdianCharité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Centre for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
G KoulaxouzidisDepartment of Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Berlin, Germany.
D KaulDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
A BehzadiDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
P Thuss-PatienceDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
J AhnDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
U PelzerDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
L BullingerDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
A FlörckenDepartment of Hematology, Oncology, and Tumor Immunology, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin · DEFreie Universität Berlin · DEHumboldt-Universität zu Berlin · DEHeidelberg University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSoft tissue sarcomas (STS) account for less than 1% of all malignancies. Approximately 50% of the patients develop metastases with limited survival in the course of their disease. For those patients, palliative treatment aiming at symptom relief and improvement of quality of life is most important. However, data on symptom burden and palliative intervention are limited in STS patients.

aimOur study evaluates the effectiveness of a palliative care intervention on symptom relief and quality of life in STS patients. DESIGN/

settingWe retrospectively analysed 53 inpatient visits of 34 patients with advanced STS, admitted to our palliative care unit between 2012 and 2018. Symptom burden was measured with a standardised base assessment questionnaire at admission and discharge.

resultsMedian disease duration before admission was 24 months, 85% of patients had metastases. The predominant indication for admission was pain, weakness and fatigue. Palliative care intervention led to a significant reduction of pain: median NRS for acute pain was reduced from 3 to 1 (p < 0.001), pain within the last 24 h from 5 to 2 (p < 0.001) and of the median MIDOS symptom score: 18 to 13 (p < 0.001). Also, the median stress level, according to the distress thermometer, was reduced significantly: 7.5 to 5 (p = 0.027).

conclusionsOur data underline that specialised palliative care intervention leads to significant symptom relief in patients with advanced STS. Further efforts should aim for an early integration of palliative care in these patients focusing primarily on the identification of subjects at high risk for severe symptomatic disease.

Indexed as

NeoplasmsSarcomaHumansPalliative CareQuality of LifeRetrospective StudiesSurveys and QuestionnairesEarly palliative care interventionInpatient palliative careMIDOS symptom scorePainPalliative careSoft tissue sarcomaSymptom burden

Identifiers

PMID33446180
PMCPMC7809873
OpenAlexW3123297510

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.