Observational studyCurrent oncology (Toronto, Ont.)2021
Trajectory of End-of-Life Pain and Other Physical Symptoms among Cancer Patients Receiving Home Care.
Observational study in Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of Virtual Reality in Managing Pain for Patients in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain and symptom management · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Self-Chosen Music in Alleviating the Burden on Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- Healthcare professionals' perceptions and needs for a Home-based Artificial Intelligence Pain Management System for cancer pain: A qualitative study.International journal of nursing sciences · 2026Article
- Prescription Monitoring Program Mandates and Opioids Dispensed to Patients Dying of Cancer.JCO oncology practice · 2026Article
- Article
- What matters to patients with cancer receiving home care at the end of life? A qualitative study comparing patients' and healthcare professionals' views.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- How to define and quantify a bad death in palliative home care? Across-sectional and exploratory study using Canadian interRAI data.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Chinese version of supportive and palliative care indicators tool (SPICT-CH) to identify cancer patients with palliative care needs.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
- Article
- Pain prevalence and pain relief in end-of-life care - a national registry study.BMC palliative care · 2024Article
- Trend analysis of quality indicators in palliative home care among terminally ill cancer and non-cancer patients in Taiwan: a 6-year observational study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Observational
- Article
- Update on Prevalence of Pain in Patients with Cancer 2022: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.Cancers · 2023Review
- Gaining a better understanding of the needs of rural cancer patients requiring in-home palliative and end-of-life care and nursing care and services.Canadian oncology nursing journal = Revue canadienne de nursing oncologique · 2023Article
- Article
- The interRAI CHESS scale is comparable to the palliative performance scale in predicting 90-day mortality in a palliative home care population.BMC palliative care · 2022Article
- Virtual reality reduces pain in palliative care-A feasibility trial.BMC palliative care · 2022Observational
- A Qualitative Study of the Pain Experience of Black Individuals With Cancer Taking Long-Acting Opioids.Cancer nursingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 8 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeTo describe the trajectory of physical symptoms among cancer decedents who were receiving home care in the six months before death. PATIENTS AND
methodsAn observational cohort study of cancer decedents in Ontario, Canada, who received home care services between 2007 and 2014. To be included, decedents had to use at least one home care service in the last six months of life. Outcomes were the presence of pain and several other physical symptoms at each week before death.
resultsOur cohort included 27,295 cancer decedents (30,368 assessments). Forty-seven percent were female and 56% were age 75 years or older. The prevalence of all physical symptoms increased as one approached death, particularly in the last month of life. In the last weeks of life, 69% of patients reported having moderate-severe pain; however, only 20% reported that the pain was not controlled. Loss of appetite (63%), shortness of breath (59%), high health instability (50%), and self-reported poor health (44%) were also highly prevalent in the last week of life. Multivariate regression showed that caregiver distress, high health instability, social decline, uncontrolled pain, and signs of depression all worsened the odds of having a physical symptom in the last 3 months of life.
conclusionIn this large home care cancer cohort, trajectories of physical symptoms worsened close to death. While presence of moderate-severe pain was common, it was also reported as mostly controlled. Covariates, such as caregiver distress and social decline, were associated with having more physical symptoms at end of life.
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