Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40188412›Full record

ArticleOncology and therapy2025

The Utilization of Specialist Palliative Care and Other Health Care Services at the End of Life Among Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Martti Merikari, Outi Akrén, Mikko Nuutinen, Antti Mäkitie, Tiina Saarto, Timo Carpén

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
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Article in Oncology and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

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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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

6 authors.

Martti MerikariDepartment of Palliative Care, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, P.O. Box 180, 00029, Helsinki, Finland. martti.merikari@fimnet.fi.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-4702-6840
Outi AkrénDepartment of Palliative Care, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, P.O. Box 180, 00029, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0003-9037-0557
Mikko NuutinenNordic Healthcare Group, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7429-3710
Antti MäkitieResearch Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0451-2404
Tiina Saarto *Department of Palliative Care, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, P.O. Box 180, 00029, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0117-8559
Timo Carpén *Department of Palliative Care, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, HUS, P.O. Box 180, 00029, Helsinki, Finland.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3310-3490

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe end of life of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) is plagued by significant morbidity and high symptom burden, emphasizing the need for palliative care. Our aim was to evaluate the utilization of health care services, including specialist palliative care (SPC), among patients with HNC at the end of life. In addition, we wanted to explore the timing of SPC contact on the utilization of health care services at the end of life.

methodsThe study population consisted of all 281 patients who died of HNC in 2019 in Finland. Data were collected from nationwide registries. Patients were divided into two groups according to the timing of their first contact with an SPC unit: early (> 30 days before death), and late/no (≤ 30 days before death or no contact).

resultsMean age at death was 72 years, and 66% were male. The hospital was the most common place of death (82%). Ninety-three (33%) patients had contact with an SPC unit, and the median time of the first SPC contact was 62 days before death. Comparing those with early and late/no SPC contact, the early group was significantly associated with lower secondary health care hospitalization (31% vs. 53%; p = 0.002) and emergency care utilization (33% vs. 52%; p = 0.006) during the last month of life. The early SPC group was also associated with higher utilization of home care (52% vs. 36%; p = 0.021), SPC outpatient clinic (24% vs. 5%; p < 0.001), SPC ward (22% vs. 4%; p < 0.001), and palliative hospital-at-home services (45% vs. 5%; p < 0.001) during the last month of life. Among patients with the early SPC contact, SPC ward was significantly more likely to be the place of death (18% vs. 4%, p < 0.001) compared with patients with late/no SPC contact.

conclusionPatients with HNC utilize health care services at high rates at the end of life. Early SPC contact is associated with increased SPC service use and decreased utilization of secondary health care and emergency care, highlighting the need for early and greater access to SPC services for patients with HNC.

Indexed as

End of lifeHead and neck cancerHealth care utilizationPalliative careSpecialist palliative care

Identifiers

PMID40188412
PMCPMC12130408

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