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Pattern of care of brain tumor patients in the last months of life: analysis of a cohort of 3045 patients in the last 10 years

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Abstract

Background

End-of-life in patients with brain cancer presents special challenges, and palliative care approach is underutilized. Patients with brain cancer, in the last months of life, receive frequent hospital readmissions, highlighting bad end-of-life care quality. Early integration of palliative care improves quality of care in advanced stage of disease and patient’s quality of death.

Purpose

We retrospectively analyzed a consecutive series of patients with brain cancer discharged after diagnosis to evaluate pattern of treatment and rate of hospital readmission in the last months of life.

Design

Data were collected from the Lazio Region Healthcare database.

Setting

Adult patients discharged with diagnosis ICD-9 191.* between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019 were included.

Results

A total of 6672 patients were identified, and 3045 deaths were included. In the last 30 days 33% were readmitted to the hospital and 24.2% to the emergency room. 11.7% were treated with chemotherapy and 6% with radiotherapy. Most indicators of end-of-life care showed wide variability by hospital of discharge.

Conclusions

Strategies to improve quality of care at the end of life and to decrease re-hospitalization and futile treatments are becoming increasingly important to improve quality of death and reduce healthcare costs. Variability observed by hospital of discharge indicates the lack of a standard approach to end-of-life care.

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Acknowledgements

Tania Merlino for revision of the English language.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuro-Oncology Unit, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute (IRCCS), Via Elio Chianesi, Rome, Italy

    Andrea Pace, Antonio Tanzilli, Veronica Villani & Dario Benincasa

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service, Via Cristoforo Colombo, Rome, Italy

    Valeria Belleudi, Francesca Romana Poggi, Marina Davoli & Luigi Pinnarelli

Authors
  1. Andrea Pace
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  2. Valeria Belleudi
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  3. Antonio Tanzilli
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  4. Veronica Villani
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  5. Francesca Romana Poggi
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  6. Dario Benincasa
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  7. Marina Davoli
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  8. Luigi Pinnarelli
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Contributions

Andrea Pace, Marina Davoli, Valeria Belleudi, Luigi Pinnarelli, and Francesca Romana Poggi contributed to paper’s conceptualization. Andrea Pace, Marina Davoli, Valeria Belleudi, Luigi Pinnarelli, Francesca Romana Poggi, Antonio Tanzilli, Veronica Villani, and Dario Benincasa contributed to text drafting. Francesca Romana Poggi and Valeria Belleudi prepared figures and tables. All the authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Antonio Tanzilli.

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This paper was not published elsewhere, and it is not submitted elsewhere for publication. All authors approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to Supportive Care in Cancer.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Pace, A., Belleudi, V., Tanzilli, A. et al. Pattern of care of brain tumor patients in the last months of life: analysis of a cohort of 3045 patients in the last 10 years. Neurol Sci 44, 2897–2902 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-06722-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-023-06722-y

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