Abstract
BackgroundEvidence on the differences in symptom patterns between older palliative cancer and non-cancer patients is lacking. The purpose of the study was to determine the differences in symptoms between older hospitalised palliative cancer and non-cancer patients.MethodsA secondary analysis of two multi-centre cross-sectional studies was performed. A validated instrument was used to assess the frequency and intensity of 40 symptoms in older hospitalised palliative cancer patients (n = 100) and older palliative non-cancer patients (n = 100). The data were collected between March 2013 and June 2015. Differences between groups were measured statistically.ResultsOverall, similarities in symptom patterns were observed between cancer and non-cancer patients. Some minor differences were detected between the groups. Non-cancer patients experienced significantly more physical symptoms and functional dependence than cancer patients. Patients with cancer experienced higher levels of frequency and intensity of psychological symptoms compared to non-cancer patients.ConclusionsHealthcare professionals should be aware of the high occurrence of symptoms in both cancer and non-cancer patients, and they should be educated about the systematic assessment of symptoms in multiple domains by accounting for the occurrence of generic symptoms and disease-specific symptoms.
Highlights
Evidence on the differences in symptom patterns between older palliative cancer and non-cancer patients is lacking
In palliative care, which aims to improve the quality of life of patients facing multiple symptoms related to a lifethreatening illness and that of their family, particular emphasis is placed on the assessment and management of symptoms [1]
100 patients had a primary diagnosis of cancer, and the remaining patients had a primary diagnosis of heart failure (22.5%), obstructive lung disease (13.5%), Table 1 Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients (N = 200)
Summary
Evidence on the differences in symptom patterns between older palliative cancer and non-cancer patients is lacking. Two systematic reviews have examined the occurrence of symptoms in patients with advanced cancer and other chronic illnesses [4, 5]. The authors of both reviews observed that cancer and non-cancer patients experienced multiple symptoms, with some commonalities in symptom patterns between the two groups [4, 5]. These conclusions were based on their interpretation of the data rather than on the statistical measurement of a difference between groups. The authors concluded that most studies focused on physical symptoms and that only a few studies investigated social and existential symptoms
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