Chemotherapy use and associated factors among cancer patients near the end of life.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the frequency of chemotherapy use and its associated factors in patients in all age groups in the last year of life.


METHODS
We identified cancer patients who died in 2004 in any of 17 hospitals. We used demographic and treatment characteristics by computerized hospital information systems and by linking the identification numbers to the 2004 death registry.


RESULTS
48.7% of patients in the last 6 months of life, 43.9% in the last 3 months, and 30.9% in the last month of life received chemotherapy. The frequency of chemotherapy use was lower for older patients. In those > or =65 years old, there was no difference between women and men in the proportion that received chemotherapy. For patients <65 years of age, a larger proportion of women than men received chemotherapy, and chemotherapy use was significantly less frequent for patients with refractory disease than for those with responsive disease. Patients dying at a relatively small hospital without a hospice inpatient unit were significantly more likely to receive chemotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the fact that most cancer patients are resistant to chemotherapy at the end of life, it was administered often to all age groups.
Yun
Young Ho
YH
Quality of Cancer Care Branch, Research Institute for National Cancer Control and Evaluation, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
Kwak
Miyoung
M
Park
Sang Min
SM
Kim
Samyong
S
Choi
Jong Soo
JS
Lim
Ho-Yeong
HY
Lee
Chang Geol
CG
Choi
Youn Seon
YS
Hong
Young Seon
YS
Kim
Si-Young
SY
Heo
Dae Seog
DS
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care; D019452:Terminally Ill
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents