Parenteral hydration (PH) in advanced cancer patients: A multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial.

Abstract

9025 Background: The vast majority of cancer patients at the end of life receive PH in hospitals and no PH in hospice. There is limited evidence supporting either practice. Our preliminary study suggested that PH (1L/day) improved dehydration symptoms (Bruera et al. JCO 2005). In this randomized controlled trial, we determined the effect of PH on symptoms associated with dehydration, quality of life and survival for patients with advanced cancer. Methods: We randomly assigned 129 cancer patients from 6 hospices to receive subcutaneous PH (normal saline 1 L/day) or placebo (normal saline 100 mL/day) daily over 4 hours. The primary outcome was change in the sum of 4 dehydration symptoms (fatigue, myoclonus, sedation and hallucinations, 0=best and 40=worst possible) between day 4 and baseline. Secondary outcomes included Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS), Memorial delirium assessment scale [MDAS], Nursing delirium screening scale [NuDESC], unified myoclonus rating scale [UMRS], FACIT-F, creatinine, urea, and overall survival. Intention-to-treat analysis was conducted to examine the change in each variable between baseline and day 4 or day 7. Log rank test was used for survival analysis. Results: Mean age was 67 (range 43-92), female 61%, Caucasians 60%, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and lung cancers 70%, performance status 3-4 113 (88%), with no baseline differences between the hydration (N=63) and placebo (N=66) groups. No significant differences were found between the hydration and placebo groups for the sum of 4 dehydration symptoms (-3.3 v. -2.8, p=0.77), ESAS (all non-significant), MDAS (1 vs. 3.5, p=0.084), NuDESC (0 v. 0, p=0.13) and UMRS (0 vs. 0, p=0.54). We also did not identify any group differences for day 7, except for a decrease in urea level in the hydration group (-2 vs. 2, P=0.02). Median overall survival was 21 days for PH and 15 days for placebo (p=0.83). Conclusions: PH at 1 L/day did not improve symptoms, quality of life or survival compared to placebo. Further studies are required to determine if any subgroups would benefit from PH.