Study Looks at Palliative Care Use in Adolescents, Young Adults With Cancer
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2023 -- For adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer, the likelihood of receiving specialty palliative care (SPC) is increased for those reporting moderate or severe symptoms, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in JAMA Network Open.
Sumit Gupta, M.D., Ph.D., from The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues examined whether patient-reported symptom severity was associated with subsequent SPC involvement in AYAs (aged 15 to 29 years) with primary cancer diagnosed between Jan. 1, 2010, and June 30, 2018. Data were included for 5,435 AYAs with cancer, with a median follow-up of 5.1 years.
The researchers found that moderate and severe versus mild Edmonton Symptom Assessment System scores were associated with an increased likelihood of SPC involvement for all symptoms. Pain scores had the greatest magnitude of association (hazard ratio for severe versus mild, 7.7). Within five years of diagnosis, 13.3 percent of AYAs died; 84.9 percent of these 721 patients had received SPC before death. There was an association seen for SPC involvement with improved pain trajectories in 202 case-control pairs (mean scores improved from 3.41 to 3.07 in case patients; worsened from 1.86 to 2.16 in control patients). No impact was seen on other symptom trajectories.
"In this cohort study of AYAs with cancer, those reporting moderate or severe symptoms in the context of a provincial screening program were more likely to subsequently receive PC services, suggesting that such programs have a role in ensuring PC involvement for AYAs in need," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted October 2023
Read this next
Vaginal Cancer Incidence Increasing Globally
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- The incidence of vaginal cancer is increasing globally, according to a study published online June 25 in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics...
Nudging Both Clinicians, Patients May Increase Serious Illness Conversations
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Combining clinician- and patient-directed nudges may help to promote serious illness conversations (SICs) in cancer care, according to a study published...
Perioperative Chemo Improves Progression-Free Survival in Pancreatic Cancer
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- For patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) may be increased with neoadjuvant...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.