title: Development of a User-Friendly Graphic Tool to Estimate Individualized Survival Curves for Advanced Cancer Patients in Hospice Care.
abstract: This prospective study aimed to develop an individualized prognostic tool for predicting the survival probability at any given point for a hospice patient with advanced cancer. A total of 286 patients with advanced cancer were included in the study. Median observational time was 18 days (range: 1 to 60 days). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that faster heart rate (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.01), jaundice (HR = 2.32), poorer performance status (HR = 2.01), and antifungal treatment (HR = 1.62) were independent predictors of shorter survival time. Patients with infections who received aminoglycoside treatments (HR = 0.45) were associated with longer survival times. Based on this model, we could construct a covariate-adjusted individualized survival curve for a given patient according to his or her clinical condition. This user-friendly tool for estimating the survival probability of patients with advanced cancer in hospice settings could facilitate clinical decision making and medical care planning.
authors.forename: Jui-Kun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Malcolm
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: Yee-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology