Trends in the Aggressiveness of Cancer Care Near the End of Life
Brigham and Women's Hospital · Harvard University · +2 more institutions
Abstract
PURPOSE: To characterize the aggressiveness of end-of-life cancer treatment for older adults on Medicare, and its relationship to the availability of healthcare resources. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed Medicare claims of 28,777 patients 65 years and older who died within 1 year of a diagnosis of lung, breast, colorectal, or other gastrointestinal cancer between 1993 and 1996 while living in one of 11 US regions monitored by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. RESULTS: Rates of treatment with chemotherapy increased from 27.9% in 1993 to 29.5% in 1996 (P =.02). Among those who received chemotherapy, 15.7% were still receiving treatment within 2 weeks of death, increasing from 13.8% in…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 26.94
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 37
Authors
6- CCCraig C. EarleCorresponding
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
- BABridget A. Neville
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
- MBMary Beth Landrum
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
- JZJohn Z. Ayanian
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
- SDSusan D. Block
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center
Topics & keywords
- Medicine
- Cancer
- End-of-life care
- Intensive care unit
- Chemotherapy
- Emergency department
- Epidemiology
- Emergency medicine
- Good health and well-being