Differences in the symptom distress between young adult and adult patients with advanced cancer admitted to acute palliative care unit.

Abstract

99 Background: Understanding about young adults with advanced cancer in palliative care was still insufficient. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences in symptom distress between young (20-39 years) and older (≥ 40 years) adults with advanced cancer who were admitted to acute palliative care unit. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 502 consecutive patients admitted to acute palliative care unit between April 2015 and March 2016 in two tertiary cancer centers. Descriptive statistics, analysis of Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), and Symptom Distress Scale (SDS) were performed. Results: Among 502 patients, 33 (7%) were aged 20-39 years, and 469 (93%) were aged ≥ 40 years. The most common malignancies among the young adult patients were stomach and colorectal cancers. SDS was similar between young adult (38.7 ± 15.1) and old adult (41.5 ± 13.7) patients. However, pain, nausea, poor feeling of well-being sense, sleep disturbance, and financial distress were numerically higher in young adult group than older adult group. Especially, sleep disturbance (5.72 vs. 4.56, p = 0.030) and financial distress (4.44 vs. 2.87, p = 0.008) showed statistically significant difference. Conclusions: Young adult advanced cancer patients appear to show different symptom profiles. Further research is needed to identify determinants and to provide timely integration of palliative care services for this unique patient cohort.