Preferred and actual place of death in haematological malignancies: a report from the UK haematological malignancy research network

Challenges in hospice and end-of-life care in the transfusion-dependent patient

Despite promising advances leading to improved survival, many patients with hematologic malignancies end up dying from their underlying disease. Their end-of-life (EOL) care experience is often marked by worsening symptoms, late conversations about patient values, increased healthcare utilization, and infrequent involvement of palliative care and hospice services. There are several challenges to the delivery of high-quality EOL care that span across disease, patient, clinician, and system levels. These barriers include an unpredictable prognosis, the patient's prognostic misunderstandings and preference to focus on the immediate future, and the oncologist's hesitancy to initiate EOL conversations. Additionally, many patients with hematologic malignancies have increasing transfusion requirements at the end of life. The hospice model often does not support ongoing blood transfusions for patients, creating an additional and substantial hurdle to hospice utilization. Ultimately, patients who are transfusion-dependent and elect to enroll in hospice do so often within a limited time frame to benefit from hospice services. Strategies to overcome challenges in EOL care include encouraging repeated patient-clinician conversations that set expectations and incorporate the patient's goals and preferences and promoting multidisciplinary team collaboration in patient care. Ultimately, policy-level changes are required to improve EOL care for patients who are transfusion-dependent. Many research efforts to improve the care of patients with hematologic malignancies at the end of life are underway, including studies directed toward patients dependent on transfusions.

Early integration of palliative care in haemato-oncology: latest developments

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aimed to explore recent progress made in the past five years towards early access to, and integration of palliative care services within the haemato-oncology context to address the unique needs of patients with Haematological malignancies (HMs).

RECENT FINDINGS

We included 14 articles in our review. We identified three themes, namely (i) disparities in the timing of referrals remain, (ii) specialist palliative care and impact on quality of life and (iii) perceptions on early integration. Patients with HM, receive less palliative care services, regardless of their higher symptom burden compared to patients with solid tumours. Structured approaches and models of early integration have shown substantial benefits, including improved pain and symptom management, shorter hospital stays and better end of life planning. Perceptions on existing barriers include the curative treatment focus, haematologists' personal perceptions on timing of palliative care and lack of palliative care training.

SUMMARY

For early integration to happen, it is crucial to address training gaps, improve communication skills, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Standardised organisational pathways can facilitate early and concurrent palliative care integration. System-level flexibility and supportive policies are essential to ensure that patients with HM receive comprehensive and high-quality care.

Quality of end-of-life care in patients with hematological malignancies: potential role of palliative care

BACKGROUND

Limited data are available on the impact of specialist palliative care on end-of-life care quality for patients with hematologic malignancies. This study aims to analyze the quality of end-of-life care in patients with hematological malignancies, comparing those who receive palliative care with those who do not.

METHODS

Observational, single center retrospective study. This study was conducted at the National Cancer Institute (INCan) in Mexico City, a tertiary care hospital, between January 2016 and June 2021. This study included deceased patients with hematological malignancies who were hospitalized or patients who were hospitalized and receiving home palliative care, with follow-up from the palliative care service. End-of-life care quality was assessed using the ASCO/NQF instrument.

RESULTS

Three hundred sixty deceased patients with hematological malignancies were included in the analysis; 51.4% were men, with a median age of 52 years. The most common diagnosis was non-Hodgkin lymphoma (41.4%); 37.8% of patients were referred to palliative care, with an average referral time from admission to INCan of 99.5 days. Patients without palliative care referral showed worse quality of death indicators (71.6% vs. 28.4%). Survival analysis revealed a median survival of 5.29 months for patients with up to 3 worse quality of death indicators and 3.65 months for those with ≥ 4 worse quality of death indicators at the end-of-life (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Patients with hematologic malignancies who did not receive palliative care experienced more intensive end-of-life interventions and had lower overall survival rates. Early integration of palliative care is crucial to promote compassionate approaches near death and ensure quality end-of-life care.

Characteristics of cancer patients dying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A study based on vital statistics from 2015 to 2022 in Japan

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has markedly affected end-of-life care, notably increasing home deaths among cancer patients in Japan. This study investigated the characteristics of cancer patients who died at home during the pandemic and the associated factors before and during the pandemic.

Methods

Vital statistics from January 2015 to December 2022 were analyzed to evaluate trends in home deaths among cancer patients aged 0 to 113 years, pre-pandemic (January 2015 to March 2020) and during the pandemic (April 2020 to December 2022). Home deaths were assessed by demographics, including age, sex, marital status, and residential location. Multivariable modified Poisson regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with home deaths in both periods.

Results

Among 3,010,374 individuals, 11.6% (226,571/1,959,304) and 20.8% (218,429/1,051,070) died at home before and during the pandemic, respectively. In subgroup analysis depicting the trend of in-home deaths by patient characteristics, only the age group showed a differential trend: the proportion of in-home deaths was higher among older people before the pandemic, whereas it was higher among younger people during the pandemic. The multivariable analysis revealed the excess risk of in-home deaths among people aged ≥65 years before the pandemic and among those aged <65 years during the pandemic.

Conclusions

The pandemic has increased home-based end-of-life care for terminal cancer patients, particularly younger individuals, possibly due to hospital visit restrictions. Ensuring sufficient resources for both home and hospital care is vital to allow individuals to receive end-of-life care in their preferred settings.

Factors for Consideration for Hematological Cancer Patients When Planning for Place of Death: A Constructive Grounded Theory Study

BACKGROUND

Planning for place of death is considered troublesome for patients with hematological cancer. Qualitative studies have focused on healthcare professionals and caregivers. To date, no study has been conducted from the patient's perspective of planning for place of death in the last year of life.

OBJECTIVE

To develop an understanding of how patients with hematological cancer experience planning for place of death in their last year of life.

METHODS

The study used constructivist grounded theory, semistructured interviews, a constant comparison technique, and memoing to collect and analyze data. The 21 participants were attending a cancer center, cancer unit, or hospice in the United Kingdom.

RESULTS

This article describes one core category, factors influencing planning for death, within the incurable hematology cancer illness trajectory through the following 2 subcategories: personal factors-driving away, developing a legacy, designing a death plan, and disease determining; and environmental factors-dependent determination, displacement of the home, and discernment of services.

CONCLUSION

This critical study illustrates that planning for place of death is complex and multifaceted in conjunction with an unpredictable incurable illness trajectory.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Preferences for the place of death will change over time depending on the illness trajectory experienced by patients with hematological cancer and the level of physical and emotional energy and independence afforded to discuss and plan.

Barriers and facilitators for place of death: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Many factors influence where people die, but most people prefer to die at home. Investigating the factors affecting death at different locations can enhance end-of-life care and enable more people to die at their preferred place. The aim was to investigate barriers and facilitators affecting place of death and compare facilitators and barriers across different places of death.

METHODS

A scoping review registered on Open Science Framework was conducted in accordance with the guidelines for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). An electronic search of literature was undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED, PsycINFO, and CINAHL covering the years January 2013-December 2023. Studies were included if they described barriers and/or facilitators for place of death among adults.

RESULTS

This review identified 517 studies, and 95 of these were included in the review. The review identified the following themes. Illness factors: disease type, dying trajectory, treatment, symptoms, and safe environment. Individual factors: sex, age, ethnicity, preferences, and for environmental factors the following were identified: healthcare inputs, education and employment, social support, economy, and place of residence.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

The factors influencing place of death are complex and some have a cumulative impact affecting where people die. These factors are mostly rooted in structural aspects and make hospital death more likely for vulnerable groups, who are also less likely to receive palliative care and advanced care planning. Disease type and social support further impact the location of death. Future research is needed regarding vulnerable groups and their preferences for place of death.

Place of Death for Adults Receiving Specialist Palliative Care in Their Last 3 Months of Life: Factors Associated With Preferred Place, Actual Place, and Place of Death Congruence

Objectives: Congruence between the preferred and actual place of death is recognised as an important quality indicator in end-of-life care. However, there may be complexities about preferences that are ignored in summary congruence measures. This article examined factors associated with preferred place of death, actual place of death, and congruence for a sample of patients who had received specialist palliative care in the last three months of life in Ireland. Methods: This article analysed merged data from two previously published mortality follow-back surveys: Economic Evaluation of Palliative Care in Ireland (EEPCI); Irish component of International Access, Rights and Empowerment (IARE I). Logistic regression models examined factors associated with (a) preferences for home death versus institutional setting, (b) home death versus hospital death, and (c) congruent versus non-congruent death. Setting: Four regions with differing levels of specialist palliative care development in Ireland. Participants: Mean age 77, 50% female/male, 19% living alone, 64% main diagnosis cancer. Data collected 2011-2015, regression model sample sizes: n = 342-351. Results: Congruence between preferred and actual place of death in the raw merged dataset was 51%. Patients living alone were significantly less likely to prefer home versus institution death (OR 0.389, 95%CI 0.157-0.961), less likely to die at home (OR 0.383, 95%CI 0.274-0.536), but had no significant association with congruence. Conclusions: The findings highlight the value in examining place of death preferences as well as congruence, because preferences may be influenced by what is feasible rather than what patients would like. The analyses also underline the importance of well-resourced community-based supports, including homecare, facilitating hospital discharge, and management of complex (eg, non-cancer) conditions, to facilitate patients to die in their preferred place.

Prevalence of Preferences for End-of-Life Place of Care and Death Among Patients With Cancer in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PURPOSE

There is limited information on preferences for place of care and death among patients with cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim was to report the prevalence and determinants of preferences for end-of-life place of care and death among patients with cancer in LMICs and identify concordance between the preferred and actual place of death.

METHODS

Systematic review and meta-analysis guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was conducted. Four electronic databases were searched to identify studies of any design that reported on the preferred and actual place of care and death of patients with cancer in LMICs. A random-effects meta-analysis estimated pooled prevalences, with 95% CI, with subgroup analyses for region and risk of bias.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies were included. Of 3,837 patients with cancer, 62% (95% CI, 49 to 75) preferred to die at home; however, the prevalence of actual home death was 37% (95% CI, 13 to 60). Subgroup analyses found that preferences for home as place of death varied from 55% (95% CI, 41 to 69) for Asia to 64% (95% CI, 57 to 71) for South America and 72% (95% CI, 48 to 97) for Africa. The concordance between the preferred and actual place of death was 48% (95% CI, 41 to 55) for South Africa and 92% (95% CI, 88 to 95) for Malaysia. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of preferred home death included performance status and patients with breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

There is very little literature from LMICs on the preferences for end-of-life place of care and death among patients with cancer. Rigorous research is needed to help understand how preferences of patients with cancer change during their journey through cancer.

Patients receiving allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and clinical outcomes after early access to palliative care

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation is a potential curative therapy for otherwise fatal haematological diseases. This treatment modality is complex, burdensome, and can involve considerable or life-threatening adverse events requiring high-quality symptom control. In contrast to patients with solid tumours, the transition to end-of-life care can be abrupt if the underlying disease relapses or other severe transplantation-related complications occur. This Viewpoint elucidates the relationships between transplantation and palliative care teams and discusses why patients who have undergone transplantation might benefit considerably from early admittance to palliative care, even when the treatment goal is clearly curative. Close and early collaboration between transplantation teams and palliative care teams is clearly endorsed.

Factors Associated With Mode of Separation for People With Palliative Diagnoses With Preference for Home Death Receiving Care From a Nurse-Led End of Life (Palliative Extended and Care at Home) Program

Palliative Extended and Care at Home (PEACH) is a rapid response nurse-led package of care mobilized for palliative care patients who have an expressed preference to die at home. This study aimed to identify the demographic and clinical predictors of home death for patients receiving the package. Deidentified data were used from administrative and clinical information systems. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to assess association of sociodemographic factors with mode of separation. Furthermore, 1754 clients received the PEACH package during the study period. Mode of separation was home death (75.7%), hospital/palliative care unit admission (13.5%), and alive/discharged from the PEACH Program (10.8%). Of participants with clear preference to die at home, 79% met their wish. Multivariate analysis demonstrated cancer diagnosis, patients who wished to be admitted when death was imminent, and patients with undecided preference for location of death were associated with an increased likelihood of being admitted to the hospital. Compared with those with spousal caregivers, those cared for by their child/grandchild and other nonspouse caregivers were significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of being admitted to the hospital/palliative care unit. Our results show that opportunities to tailor home care based on referral characteristics to meet patient preference to die at home, at individual, system, and policy levels, exist.

Home or hospital as the place of end-of-life care and death: A survey among Chinese residents of Macao

Objectives

The study was the first to explore Chinese residents' preferred place of care at the end of life and preferred place of death in Macao.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted online and face-to-face. The questionnaire was designed in Chinese, and both online and face-to-face surveys were conducted in Chinese. The study was conducted in Macao. Macao residents aged 18 years and older were recruited.

Results

A total of 737 responses were valid, 65% were female, aged between 19 and 101 years; 43.4% of respondents preferred to be cared for at home in the last 6 months; however, less than one-fifth preferred to die at home. One-third of respondents chose to die in the hospice, and over a quarter of them preferred to die in hospitals. Compared with people aged between 18 and 39 years, people aged between 40 and 64 years did not want to be cared for at home in the last 6 months, and they did not want to die at home either.

Conclusion

The results of the study suggested that there is a need for palliative home care in Macao, and the government should consider developing such a service and review current laws and regulations in supporting the service. Education is equally important for healthcare professionals, enabling them to support palliative care development in the community.

End-of-Life Care of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Compared with Aggressive lymphoma in Patients Who Are Eligible for Intensive Chemotherapy: An Observational Study in a Japanese Community Hospital

Background

Patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) are reported to receive more aggressive care at the end of life (EOL) than patients with solid tumors. However, the reasons behind this occurrence are not fully understood.

Objectives

To examine whether the care at EOL for HMs is mainly because of the disease characteristics or hematologists' attitudes and systems of care, we compared the EOL care of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Design

We retrospectively analyzed the EOL care of patients with AML and DLBCL younger than 80 years who were receiving combination chemotherapy at a city hospital in Japan.

Results

Fifty-nine patients with AML and 65 with DLBCL were included. Those with AML received chemotherapy more often within their last 30 days (48% vs. 19%, p < 0.001) and 14 days (37% vs. 1.5%, p < 0.001) of life, and consulted the palliative team less frequently (5.3% vs. 29%, p < 0.001). In the last 3 years, the mortality rate in hematological wards decreased from 74% to 29% in the DLBCL group, but only from 95% to 90% in the AML group. In multivariate analysis, AML (odds ratio [OR] 0.065) and death before 2018 (OR, 0.077) were significant factors associated with reduced referrals to specialized palliative teams.

Conclusion

Patients with AML tend to have lesser access to specialized palliative care and fewer options for their place of death than those with DLBCL. Detailed EOL care plans are needed for these patients, considering the characteristics of the disease.

Sequencing therapy in relapsed DLBCL

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common lymphoid malignancy worldwide, comprising approximately 30% of all lymphomas. Currently, 50% to 60% of patients diagnosed with DLBCL are alive at 5 years and cured with modern therapy, but about 10% to 15% of patients are refractory to first-line therapy, and an additional 20% to 30% relapse following a complete response. Patients who have relapses beyond 2 years may experience more favorable outcomes and have forms of DLBCL that can be distinguished biologically. Patients who experience early relapse or who have primary refractory disease (less than a complete response or relapse within 3 to 6 months of initial therapy) have worse outcomes. For decades, the standard of care treatment strategy for fit patients with relapsed DLBCL has been salvage therapy with non-cross-resistant combination chemoimmunotherapy regimens followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as stem cell rescue for patients with chemosensitive disease. Recent data suggest that certain patients may benefit from chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) in the second-line setting. Additional novel therapies exist for patients who are ineligible, who are unable to access these therapies, or who fail ASCT and/or CAR T. Despite the advent of new therapies for DLBCL and improved outcomes, DLBCL remains a life-threatening illness. Thus, it is essential for clinicians to engage in serious illness conversations with their patients. Goals-of-care communication can be improved through skills-based training and has been demonstrated to have an impact on patient experiences.

Relationships between bereaved families' decision-making regret about end-of-life care place for patients with cancer and relevant factors

Objective

Decision-making regarding end-of-life care (EOLC) place causes psychological burden on families and 70% of bereaved families have regrets. Healthcare professionals need to support families to prevent regrets. This study aims to clarify the relationship between the factors related to the decision-making methods used to choose a place of care for terminal cancer patients and the regret experienced by bereaved families.

Methods

Participants were 1110 bereaved family members of patients with cancer. The questionnaire items were as follows: the agreement between patients and their families regarding their preferred place of EOLC, decision-making methods, satisfaction with the factors involved in the decision-making processes, experience regarding communication with medical personnel, and regret experienced by the bereaved families.

Results

This analysis included 332 valid responses from 343 respondents. The regret score was significantly lower for the group wherein patients and their caregivers/families had similar preferences regarding the EOLC place (P ​< ​0.001). Regret scores were significantly higher in the physician-led decision-making group (vs. positive role group P ​= ​0.004, vs. shared role group P ​= ​0.014). The regret scores for the bereaved family members were negatively correlated with the satisfaction scores for "friend support," "relationship with doctor," "information," "explanation by doctor," "thought as oneself," and "participation in the decision" (ρ ​= ​-0.207-0.400, P ​≤ ​0.001).

Conclusions

To reduce bereaved families' regret, family members should know the patients' preferred place of EOLC, and patients and their families should be supported by physicians and nurses to understand their options and participate in the decision-making process.

Physicians' Conceptions of the Dying Patient: Scoping Review and Qualitative Content Analysis of the United Kingdom Medical Literature

Most people in high income countries experience dying while receiving healthcare, yet dying has no clear beginning, and contexts influence how dying is conceptualised. This study investigates how UK physicians conceptualise the dying patient. We employed Scoping Study Methodology to obtain medical literature from 2006-2021, and Qualitative Content Analysis to analyse stated and implied meanings of language used, informed by social-materialism. Our findings indicate physicians do not conceive a dichotomous distinction between dying and not dying, but construct conceptions of the dying patient in subjective ways linked to their practice. We argue that the focus of future research should be on exploring practice-based challenges in the workplace to understanding patient dying. Furthermore, pre-Covid-19 literature related dying to chronic illness, but analysis of literature published since the pandemic generated conceptions of dying from acute illness. Researchers should note the ongoing effects of Covid-19 on societal and medical awareness of dying.

Intensity of care in cancer patients in the last year of life: a retrospective data linkage study

BACKGROUND

Delivering high-quality palliative and end-of-life care for cancer patients poses major challenges for health services. We examine the intensity of cancer care in England in the last year of life.

METHODS

We included cancer decedents aged 65+ who died between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017. We analysed healthcare utilisation and costs in the last 12 months of life including hospital-based activities and primary care.

RESULTS

Healthcare utilisation and costs increased sharply in the last month of life. Hospital costs were the largest cost elements and decreased with age (0.78, 95% CI: 0.73-0.72, p < 0.005 for age group 90+ compared to age 65-69 and increased substantially with comorbidity burden (2.2, 95% CI: 2.09-2.26, p < 0.005 for those with 7+ comorbidities compared to those with 1-3 comorbidities). The costs were highest for haematological cancers (1.45, 95% CI: 1.38-1.52, p < 0.005) and those living in the London region (1.10, 95% CI: 1.02-1.19, p < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare in the last year of life for advanced cancer patients is costly and offers unclear value to patients and the healthcare system. Further research is needed to understand distinct cancer populations' pathways and experiences before recommendations can be made about the most appropriate models of care.

Preferred place of death and end-of-life care for adult cancer patients in Iran: A cross-sectional study

Background

More than 50,000 deaths in terms of cancer occur annually in Iranian hospitals. Determining the preferred place of end-of-life care and death for cancer patients in Iran is a quality marker for good end-of-life care and good death. The purpose of this study was to determine the preferred place of end-of-life care and death in cancer patients.

Method

In 2021, the current descriptive cross-sectional investigation was carried out. Using the convenience sample approach, patients were chosen from three Tehran referral hospitals (the capital of Iran). A researcher-made questionnaire with three parts for demographic data, clinical features, and two questions on the choice of the desired location for end-of-life care and the death of cancer patients served as the data collecting instrument. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 18. The relationship between the two variables preferred place for end-of-life care and death and other variables was investigated using chi-square, Fisher exact test, and multiple logistic regression.

Result

The mean age of patients participating in the study was 50.21 ± 13.91. Three hundred ninety (69.6%) of the patients chose home, and 170 (30.4%) patients chose the hospital as the preferred place of end-of-life care. Choosing the home as a preferred place for end-of-life care had a significant relationship with type of care (OR = .613 [95% CI: 0.383–0.982], P = .042), level of education (OR = 2.61 [95% CI: 1.29–5.24], P = 0.007), type of cancer (OR = 1.70 [1.01–2.89], P = .049), and income level (Mediate: (OR: 3.27 (1.49, 7.14), P = .003) and Low: (OR: 3.38 (1.52–7.52), P = .003). Also, 415 (75.2%) patients chose home and 137 (24.8%) patients chose hospital as their preferred place of death. Choosing the home as a preferred place of death had a significant relationship with marriage (OR = 1.62 [95% CI: 1.02–2.57], P = .039) and time to diagnostic disease less than 6 months (OR = 1.62 [95% CI: 0.265–0.765], P = .002).

Conclusion

The findings of the current research indicate that the majority of cancer patients selected their homes as the preferred location for end-of-life care and final disposition. Researchers advise paying more attention to patients’ wishes near the end of life in light of the findings of the current study. This will be achieved by strengthening the home care system using creating appropriate infrastructure, insurance coverage, designing executive instructions, and integration of palliative care in home care services.

Where Are We Dying? Ethnic Differences in Place of Death Among New Zealanders Dying of Cancer

Around a third of people with cancer will die outside of their preferred place of death, with substantial variation occurring between and within countries in terms of place of death. Here, we examine place of death within the New Zealand cancer context, with specific focus on differences between Indigenous Māori and other ethnic groups.

National study reveals substantial differences in place of cancer death between ethnic groups in NZ.

Levels and Determinants of Place-Of-Death Congruence in Palliative Patients: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Congruence, understood as the agreement between the patient's preferred place of death and their actual place of death, is emerging as one of the main variables indicating the quality of end-of-life care. The aim of this research was to conduct a systematic literature review on levels and determinants of congruence in palliative patients over the period 2010-2021. Method: A systematic review of the literature in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cuiden, the Cochrane Library, CSIC Indexes, and IBECS. Information was extracted on research characteristics, congruence, and associated factors. Results: A total of 30 studies were identified, mainly of retrospective observational design. The congruence values varied substantially between the various studies, ranging from 21 to 100%. The main predictors of congruence include illness-related factors (functional status, treatments and diagnosis), individual factors (age, gender, marital status, and end of life preferences), and environmental factors (place of residence, availability of health, and palliative care services). Conclusion: This review, in comparison with previous studies, shows that treatment-related factors such as physical pain control, marital status, having a non-working relative, age, discussing preferred place of death with a healthcare professional, and caregiver's preference have been associated with higher levels of congruence. Depending on the study, other factors have been associated with either higher or lower congruence, such as the patient's diagnosis, gender, or place of residence. This information is useful for designing interventions aimed towards greater congruence at the end of life.

Preferred Place of Death in Adult Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Identifying the preferred place of death is a key indicator of the quality of death in cancer patients and one of the most important issues for health service policymakers. This study was done to determine the preferred place of death and the factors affecting it for adult patients with cancer.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, web of science, ProQuest) were searched by relevant keywords. Quality assessment of papers was conducted using Newcastle-Ottawa (NOS) criterion. Odds ratios, relative risks, and 95% confidence intervals were determined for each of the factors extracted from the investigations.

Results: A total of 14,920 participants of 27 studies were included into the meta-analysis. Based on the results, 55% of cancer patients with a confidence interval [95% CI (41–49)] preferred home, 17% of patients with a confidence interval [95% CI (−12%) 23)] preferred hospital and 10% of patients with confidence interval [95% CI (13–18)] preferred hospices as their favored place to die. Effective factors were also reported in the form of demographic characteristics, disease-related factors and psychosocial factors.

Conclusions: This study showed that more than half of cancer patients chose home as their preferred place of death. Therefore, guided policies need to ensure that the death of the patients in the preferred place should be considered with priority.

Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020218680, identifier: CRD42020218680.

Goal of a "Good Death" in End-of-Life Care for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies-Are We Close?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The medical field has a critical role not only in prolonging life but also in helping patients achieve a good death. Early studies assessing end-of-life quality indicators to capture if a good death occurred demonstrated low rates of hospice use and high rates of intensive healthcare utilization near death among patients with hematologic malignancies, raising concerns about the quality of death. In this review, we examine trends in end-of-life care for patients with hematologic malignancies to determine if we are close to the goal of a good death.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several cohort studies show that patients with blood cancers are often inadequately prepared for the dying process due to late goals of care discussions and they experience low rates of palliative and hospice care. More recent analyses of population-based data demonstrate some improvements over time, with significantly more patients receiving palliative care, enrolling in hospice, and having the opportunity to die at home compared to a decade ago. These encouraging trends are paradoxically accompanied by concomitant increases in late hospice enrollment and intensive healthcare utilization near death. Although we are closer to the goal of a good death for patients with hematologic malignancies, there is ample room for growth. To close the gap between the current state of care and a good death, we need research that engages patients, caregivers, hematologic oncologists, and policy-makers to develop innovative interventions that improve timeliness of goals of care discussions, expand palliative care integration, and increase hospice use.

Where Do Cancer Patients in Receipt of Home-Based Palliative Care Prefer to Die and What Are the Determinants of a Preference for a Home Death?

Understanding the preferred place of death may assist to organize and deliver palliative health care services. The study aims to assess preference for place of death among cancer patients in receipt of home-based palliative care, and to determine the variables that affect their preference for a home death. A prospective cohort design was carried out from July 2010 to August 2012. Over the course of their palliative care trajectory, a total of 303 family caregivers of cancer patients were interviewed. Multivariate regression analysis was employed to assess the determinants of a preferred home death. The majority (65%) of patients had a preference of home death. The intensity of home-based physician visits and home-based personal support worker (PSW) care promotes a preference for a home death. Married patients, patients receiving post-graduate education and patients with higher Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) scores were more likely to have a preference of home death. Patients reduced the likelihood of preferring a home death when their family caregiver had high burden. This study suggests that the majority of cancer patients have a preference of home death. Health mangers and policy makers have the potential to develop policies that facilitate those preferences.

Strategies for introducing palliative care in the management of relapsed or refractory aggressive lymphomas

Recent advances in treatment of patients with aggressive lymphomas ranging from chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy to combination of antibody-drug conjugates with chemotherapy have improved survival outcomes. Despite these significant advances, patients with relapsed or refractory disease experience high physical and psychological symptom burden, and a substantial proportion still die of their lymphoma. In addition, end-of-life care outcomes are suboptimal with high rates of intensive end-of-life health care use and low rates of timely hospice enrollment. Integrating palliative care concurrently with disease-directed care for this patient population has strong potential to improve their symptom burden, quality of life, and end-of-life care. Multiple factors, including heightened prognostic uncertainty in the setting of relapsed/refractory disease, pose challenges to timely provision of palliative care. This article reviews benefits of primary and specialty palliative care for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphomas and barriers to such care. It also highlights strategies for effectively integrating palliative care for patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive lymphomas.