TY - JOUR
T1 - Targeted agent use in cancer patients at the end of life
AU - Hui, David
AU - Karuturi, Meghan Sri
AU - Tanco, Kimberson Cochien
AU - Kwon, Jung Hye
AU - Kim, Sun Hyun
AU - Zhang, Tao
AU - Kang, Jung Hun
AU - Chisholm, Gary
AU - Bruera, Eduardo
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Bruera is supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants RO1NR010162-01A1 , RO1CA122292-01 , and RO1CA124481-01 . Dr. Hui is supported in part by an institutional start-up fund. This study also was supported by the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Support Grant ( CA 016672 ). The sponsors had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or writing of the report. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
PY - 2013/7
Y1 - 2013/7
N2 - Context: The use of targeted therapy at the end of life has not been well characterized. Objectives: To determine the frequency and predictors of targeted therapy use in the last days of life. Methods: All adult patients residing in the Houston area who died of advanced cancer between September 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010 and had contact with our institution within the last three months of life were included. We collected baseline demographics and data on chemotherapy and targeted agents. Results: Eight hundred sixteen patients were included: average age 62 years (range 21-97), female 48% and white 61%. The median interval between the last treatment and death was 47 (interquartile range [IQR] 21-97) days for targeted agents and 57 (IQR 26-118) days for chemotherapeutic agents. Within the last 30 days of life, 116 (14%) patients received targeted agents and 147 (18%) received chemotherapy. Regimens given in the last 30 days of life included a median of one (IQR 1-2) chemotherapeutic or targeted agent and 43 (5%) patients receiving targeted agents had concurrent chemotherapy. The most common targeted agents in the last 30 days of life were erlotinib (n = 25), bevacizumab (n = 20), rituximab (n = 11), gemtuzumab (n = 8), and temsirolimus (n = 8). On multivariate analysis, younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.98 per year, P = 0.01), hematologic malignancy (OR = 6.1, P < 0.001), and lung malignancy (OR = 2.6, P = 0.05) were associated with increased targeted agent use in the last 30 days of life. Conclusion: Targeted agents were used as often as chemotherapy at the end of life, particularly among younger patients and those with hematologic malignancies. Guidelines on targeted therapy use at the end of life are needed.
AB - Context: The use of targeted therapy at the end of life has not been well characterized. Objectives: To determine the frequency and predictors of targeted therapy use in the last days of life. Methods: All adult patients residing in the Houston area who died of advanced cancer between September 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010 and had contact with our institution within the last three months of life were included. We collected baseline demographics and data on chemotherapy and targeted agents. Results: Eight hundred sixteen patients were included: average age 62 years (range 21-97), female 48% and white 61%. The median interval between the last treatment and death was 47 (interquartile range [IQR] 21-97) days for targeted agents and 57 (IQR 26-118) days for chemotherapeutic agents. Within the last 30 days of life, 116 (14%) patients received targeted agents and 147 (18%) received chemotherapy. Regimens given in the last 30 days of life included a median of one (IQR 1-2) chemotherapeutic or targeted agent and 43 (5%) patients receiving targeted agents had concurrent chemotherapy. The most common targeted agents in the last 30 days of life were erlotinib (n = 25), bevacizumab (n = 20), rituximab (n = 11), gemtuzumab (n = 8), and temsirolimus (n = 8). On multivariate analysis, younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.98 per year, P = 0.01), hematologic malignancy (OR = 6.1, P < 0.001), and lung malignancy (OR = 2.6, P = 0.05) were associated with increased targeted agent use in the last 30 days of life. Conclusion: Targeted agents were used as often as chemotherapy at the end of life, particularly among younger patients and those with hematologic malignancies. Guidelines on targeted therapy use at the end of life are needed.
KW - Antineoplastic agents
KW - end of life
KW - palliative care
KW - quality of care
KW - supportive care
KW - targeted agents
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2012.07.007
DO - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2012.07.007
M3 - Article
C2 - 23211648
AN - SCOPUS:84877582835
SN - 0885-3924
VL - 46
SP - 1
EP - 8
JO - Journal of pain and symptom management
JF - Journal of pain and symptom management
IS - 1
ER -