title: Follow-up study of survival of patients with advanced cancer in a hospice setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was to present the survival of advanced cancer patients and explore the influence of various factors on survival time as well as survival rate. The results provide guidelines for clinical practice of cancer treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up of 674 advanced cancer patients was performed in a hospice. The median survival time and survival rate were calculated, and survival analysis was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median survival time of all patients dying from cancer was 12.0 months and the average survival time was 25.1 months. The 1-year cumulative survival rate was 0.518±0.020 and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 0.088±0.012. The following factors showed significant impacts on survival rate: gender, age, primary diagnosis, surgery and the time when pain appeared.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survival time of patients with advanced cancer was relatively short. Major approaches to extend the survival time include early detection, early diagnosis, effective surgical treatment, pain control, reasonable supply of nutrients and multiple interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Care Ward, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China. wangyumeiyymm@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hai-Qiang
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000379:methods; D006738:Hospices / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult