Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40048038›Full record

ArticleJournal of neuro-oncology2025

Unscheduled hospitalization as a potential trigger for specialist palliative care referral in patients with high grade glioma: a retrospective analysis in a tertiary hospital.

Juan Luis Torres-Tenor, Andrea García-Leal, David Hui, Eduardo Bruera, Virginia Martínez-Marín, Ana Castaño-Cantos, Alberto Alonso-Babarro

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Article in Journal of neuro-oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Juan Luis Torres-TenorDepartment of Palliative Care, La Paz Hospital, Paseo de la Castellana 261, Madrid, 28046, Spain. torrestenor@yahoo.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-7471-1325
Andrea García-LealDepartment of Medical Oncology, La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
David HuiDepartment of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2733-6607
Eduardo BrueraDepartment of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer, Houston, TX, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8745-0412
Virginia Martínez-MarínDepartment of Medical Oncology, La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Ana Castaño-CantosDepartment of Radiation Oncology, La Paz Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
Alberto Alonso-BabarroDepartment of Palliative Care, La Paz Hospital, Paseo de la Castellana 261, Madrid, 28046, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0165-380X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeGuidelines recommend early palliative care for patients with cancer, including high grade glioma (HGG), but referrals to palliative care are often delayed. Our study aimed to describe characteristics and outcomes of patients with HGG with a first unscheduled hospitalization, and assess if it should trigger palliative care referral.

methodsRetrospective study of medical oncology outpatients with HGG at a tertiary hospital, analyzing first unscheduled hospitalizations. Primary variable: Overall Survival (OS) after admission.

results133 HGG consecutive patients were referred to the medical oncology outpatient clinic. By the study's end, 90% (N = 119) had died, with a median OS from diagnosis of 11 months (95% CI 10-14). Unscheduled hospitalizations occurred in 53% of patients (N = 71) and were associated to reduced median OS from diagnosis: 10.5 months vs. 14 months, HR (95% CI) = 1.9 (1.3-2.7), p = 0.0012. Mortality during hospitalization was 24% (N = 17). Median OS after admission was 2.5 months (95% CI 2-4). Poor ECOG performance status (p = 0.059), no prior cancer treatment (p = 0.0003), longer diagnosis-to-admission time (p = 0.0147), admission to acute palliative care unit (p = 0.0012), and discharge to Hospice (p < 0.0001) associated with lower survival. Of admitted patients, palliative care assessed 39% (N = 28) during hospitalization, 28% (N = 20) before, and 24% (N = 17) after. Median OS after admission was shorter for those referred before/during hospitalization: 2 months vs. 7 months, HR (95% CI) = 0.4 (0.2-0.7), p = 0.0012.

conclusionThe first unscheduled hospitalization in HGG patients could signal poor prognosis, yet palliative care referrals often occur late, highlighting missed opportunities for earlier intervention and suggesting unscheduled hospitalization as a potential trigger for referral.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsGliomaHospitalizationPalliative CareReferral and ConsultationAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm GradingPrognosisRetrospective StudiesTertiary Care CentersHigh grade gliomaOncology servicePalliative medicinePatient admissionPrognosisReferral and consultation

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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.