ArticleBMC palliative care2025
Palliative care in patients with brain metastases from breast cancer: a qualitative descriptive study of attitudes, practices, and barriers.
Article in BMC palliative care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBrain metastases occur in 20%-40% of women with breast cancer, the most common malignancy in women worldwide. These patients frequently require palliative care to improve quality of life; however, their needs and experiences remain poorly characterised. This study explored attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers and facilitators related to palliative care among patients with brain metastasis from breast cancer in China.
methodsBetween October and December 2024, we conducted qualitative interviews with 16 women with brain metastases from breast cancer at a public hospital in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Participants were purposively sampled and interviewed face to face using a semi-structured, pilot-tested topic guide. Using directed content analysis, we analysed interview transcripts to identify concepts and key ideas within a deductive framework (attitudes, practices, barriers and facilitators). From these initial concepts, categories were inductively expanded and core themes were generated.
resultsFindings clustered into four domains: attitudes (goal incongruence among stakeholders; misunderstandings and stigma surrounding palliative care; evolving acceptance linked to perceived benefits); practices (managing neurological symptoms; maintaining cognitive function; optimising of pain management; coordination across family, community, and hospital settings); barriers (financial strain, limited understanding, cultural-familial norms); and facilitators (multidisciplinary care, family/community support, policy support). DISCUSSION: The findings highlight the need for improved communication and education to align expectations and enhance palliative care. Addressing the economic burden and cognitive decline, and strengthening professional team support, family and community engagement, and policy/organisational backing, may enhance palliative care delivery and outcomes. Future research should examine longitudinal shifts in awareness, evaluate transferability to other tumour types and sites via multicentre studies, and incorporate clinicians' and caregivers' perspectives to optimise symptom-control protocols and family-community-hospital coordination.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.