title: Use of chemotherapy at the end of life in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An increasing number of patients receive palliative chemotherapy near the end of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate the aggressiveness of chemotherapy in Turkish individuals near the end of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients diagnosed with solid tumors and died from 2010 to 2011 in the medical oncology department of Akdeniz University were included in the study. Data about the diagnosis, treatment details and imaging procedures were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred and seventy-three people with stage IV solid tumors died from 2010 to 2011 in our clinic. Eighty-nine patients (23.9%) patients underwent chemotherapy in the last month of life while 39 patients (10.5%) received chemotherapy in the last 14 days. The probability of undergoing chemotherapy in the last month of life was influenced by: age, 'newly diagnosed' patients, and performance status. There was no significant association of chemotherapy in the last month of life with gender and tumor type. Having a PET-CT scan did not alter the chemotherapy decision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, chemotherapy used in the last month of life in a tertiary care center of Turkey is high. Increasing quality of life should be a priority near the end of life and physicians should consider ceasing chemotherapy and direct the patient to early palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Kayseri State Hospital of Research and Education, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sezgin Goksu
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Seyda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gunduz
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Kayseri State Hospital of Research and Education, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Unal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mukremin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uysal
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tatlı
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bozcuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozdogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Akdeniz University, Faculty of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Coskun
keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; End of life; Terminally ill