Cancer Palliative Care Research Articles

Development of a national health policy logic model to accelerate the integration of oncology and palliative care: a nationwide Delphi survey in Japan.

Despite recommendations to deliver palliative care to cancer patients and their caregivers, their distress has not been alleviated satisfactorily. National health policies play a pivotal role in achieving a comprehensive range of quality palliative care delivery for the public. However, there is no standardised logic model to appraise the efficacy of these policies. This study aimed to develop a logic model of a national health policy to deliver cancer palliative care and to reach consensus towards specific policy proposals. A draft version of the logic model and specific policy proposals were formulated by the research team and the internal expert panel, and the independent external expert panel evaluated the policy proposals based on the Delphi survey to reach consensus. The logic model was divided into three major conceptual categories: 'care-delivery at cancer hospitals', 'community care coordination', and 'social awareness of palliative care'. There were 18 and 45 major and minor policy proposals, which were categorised into four groups: requirement of government-designated cancer hospitals; financial support; Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs; and others. These policy proposals were independently evaluated by 64 external experts and the first to third Delphi round response rates were 96.9-98.4%. Finally, 47 policy proposals reached consensus. The priority of each proposal was evaluated within the four policy groups. A national health policy logic model was developed to accelerate the provision of cancer palliative care. Further research is warranted to verify the study design to investigate the efficacy of the logic model.

A novel nurse-coordinated home care model for palliative care in advanced cancer: A pilot interventional study from suburban Mumbai

Background: Demand for home-based health care services has increased considerably in India. Traditionally, home-based care services are physician-led which puts pressure on the understaffed healthcare sector. This study aims to pilot a new model, the Nurse coordinated Home Care (NCHC) service in suburban Mumbai (India). Methods: In this pilot interventional study, 101 patients with advanced cancer along with their caregivers were enrolled over 16 months. The nurse coordinator (NC) administered study questionnaires every month. Follow-up visits were based on case severity. Local general practitioners (LGPs) were identified and involved in patient care. Results: Severe Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) symptoms were reduced by >2 points in 4 out of 7 instances (57.1%). The number of physician visits was lesser than NC visits (162 vs 341), home deaths were more than hospital deaths (57 vs 14), study retention rate was 99%, 87.5% LGPs participated, 98% of questionnaires were returned. Satisfaction on FAMCARE-2 showed a maximum score of ‘Satisfied’, caregiver burden in ZBI was little/no for 95%, mean scores for ESAS pain was 2, PPSv2 score was 70%−100% for the majority, mean scores on EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL were 77 - Functional scales, 21.5 - Symptom scales, and 64.3 - Global health status/quality of life. NCHC median intervention costs per patient were less than usual care (₹2049.50 vs ₹11490.09). Conclusion: A home care service model that includes nurse coordination and case management streamlines access to healthcare services and resources while reducing the cost of care along with reduced caregiver burden, with increased levels of satisfaction.

Equal receipt of specialized palliative care in breast and prostate cancer: a register study

PurposeThere are inequalities in cancer treatment. This study aimed to investigate whether receipt of specialized palliative care (SPC) is affected by typical female and male diagnoses (breast and prostate cancer), age, socioeconomic status (SES), comorbidities as measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), or living arrangements (home vs nursing home residence). Furthermore, we wanted to investigate if receipt of SPC affects the place of death, or correlated with emergency department visits, or hospital admissions.MethodsAll breast and prostate cancer patients who died with verified distant metastases during 2015–2019 in the Stockholm Region were included (n = 2516). We used univariable and stepwise (forward) logistic multiple regression models.ResultsLower age, lower CCI score, and higher SES significantly predicted receipt of palliative care 3 months before death (p = .007–p < .0001). Patients with prostate cancer, a lower CCI score, receiving palliative care services, or living in a nursing home were admitted to a hospital or visited an emergency room less often during their last month of life (p = .01 to < .0001). Patients receiving palliative care services had a low likelihood of dying in an acute care hospital (p < .001). Those who died in a hospital were younger, had a lower CCI score, and had received less palliative care or nursing home services (p = .02– < .0001).ConclusionAge, comorbidities, and nursing home residence affected the likelihood of receiving SPC. However, the diagnosis of breast versus prostate cancer did not. Emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and hospital deaths are registered less often for patients with SPC.

Nurse-led cancer palliative care compared to oncologist-led cancer palliative care: A retrospective analysis of Chinese patients suffering from cancer and receiving chemotherapy.

Cancer palliative care is recommended by guidelines for patients with early stage of cancer. Unlike the Western countries, in mainland China, cancer patients receive specialist-led cancer palliative care. Nurse-led cancer palliative care (NUC) is not well established yet. To compare the clinical outcome measures, quality of life and symptom distress in patients suffering from cancer who received NUC with the same results in patient who received consulting oncologist-led cancer palliative care (ONC). The study was a chart review of a database of patients suffering from cancer. Data regarding clinical outcome measures, quality of life and symptom distress of patients suffering from cancer who were receiving chemotherapy and NUC (NUC cohort, n = 185) or ONC (ONC cohort, n = 170) were collected and analyzed. One oncologist or 1 nurse was involved in treating 1 patient during the patient's hospital visit. Each visit took 30 min. The Chinese version of the Symptom Distress Scale was used for the evaluation of the degree of symptom distress. The simplified Chinese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment Quality of Life Questionnaire (the EORTC QLQ-C30) v. 3.0 was used for evaluation of the quality of life. Female patients preferred NUC (p < 0.0001). The pain intensity (4.13 ±1.71 compared to 3.35 ±1.01, p < 0.0001), dyspnea (3.89 ±1.48 compared to 2.82 ±0.97, p < 0.0001), constipation (3.56 ±1.78 compared to 3.06 ±1.89, p = 0.0107), and degree of symptom distress (38.09 ±7.26 compared to 35.05 ±7.92, p = 0.0002) were reported higher among patients from the ONC cohort than among those from the NUC cohort. Patients from the NUC cohort reported a better quality of life than those from the ONC cohort (70.41 ±13.62 compared to 45.63 ±7.94, p < 0.0001). The NUC results in better clinical outcome measures and higher quality of life than ONC for patients receiving chemotherapy.

Assessing Family Caregiver Communication in Chronic Illness: Validation of the FCCT-CI.

Background: Chronic illness care demands attention to the unique needs of family caregivers who support care at home, yet few tools exist for family caregiver assessment in the social domain of practice. Objectives: The Family Caregiver Communication Tool (FCCT) assesses caregiver communication as part of the family system and was originally developed for cancer caregivers. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically-validate a version of the FCCT for Chronic Illness (FCCT-CI). Methods: We revised the FCCT, including the generation of new items, and psychometrically tested it in 303 family caregivers recruited through Amazon Prime Panels. Item reduction through exploratory factor analysis was conducted, internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and concurrent validity was conducted to demonstrate correlation of the new scale with previously validated instruments. Results: A principal axis analysis with promax rotation initially revealed a five-factor structure of the 27 items initially tested, but, after statistical and theoretical reduction and refinement, a 10 item FCCT-CI emerged. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .74 to .86 for the FCCT-CI instrument. Concurrent validity was supported by bivariate correlation tests. Conclusions: The FCCT-CI is the first psychometrically tested scale designed to assess caregiver communication with chronically ill patients, family members, and palliative care providers about caregiving. The FCCT-CI scale includes but is not limited to cancer caregiving and palliative care contexts and has good reliability and validity. Palliative care providers can use this tool to assess, design, and test interventions to support family caregivers.

Impact of COVID-19 in Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening and Systemic Treatment in São Paulo, Brazil: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis.

PURPOSECOVID-19 caused a disruption in cancer management around the world, resulting in an estimated excess burden secondary to screening disruption and excess lag time for treatment initiation.METHODSWe gathered information from primary reimbursement data sets of the public health system of São Paulo, Brazil, from April 2020 to November 2021, and compared these data with those of the pre–COVID-19 period. We used an interrupted time series model to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rate of key procedures of breast and cervical cancer health care chain.RESULTSWe estimated that 1,149,727, 2,693, and 713,616 pap smears, conizations, and mammograms, respectively, were missed or delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with those in the years immediately before the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions. Specifically, we observed an acute decrease of procedures after the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions, with a trend to recovery in the long term. Regarding the systemic treatment analysis, we observed a 25% reduction in the rate of initiation of adjuvant systemic treatment for early breast cancer (stage I/II). However, we did not find a clear effect on the other settings of systemic treatment for breast cancer. We estimated an excess of 156 patients starting palliative care for cervical cancer after the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.CONCLUSIONThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the performance rate of pap smears, conizations, and mammograms. The initiation of adjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer was most susceptible to COVID-19's health system disruption. Furthermore, the downward trend of treatment of advanced cervical cancer was interrupted. Therefore, public health policies are urgently needed to decrease the incidence of advanced cervical and breast cancers caused by delayed diagnosis and treatment initiation.The COVID-19 control policies resulted in reduction of cancer patients' delivery of care. This study evaluated the pandemic's influence in key procedures of breast and cervical cancer chain of care in São Paulo, Brazil. We observed a substantial reduction in the number of mammograms, pap smears, and conizations performed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, stage I and II breast cancer adjuvant treatment presented a reduced realization rate, whereas palliative treatment delivered for advanced cervical cancer increased. Our results support the need for public health policies focused on mitigating the long-term effects of COVID-19 in cancer-related mortality.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 in 1294 New Cancer Patients: Single-Center, Prospective Cohort Study from Iran

Objective To determine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 in a large cohort of new cancer patients referred to an oncology clinic in the north of Iran. Methods During the 20-month COVID-19 pandemic, new cancer patients were followed-up. Demographic, pathologic, and clinical variables were collected for each patient. COVID-19 was confirmed based on a positive polymerase chain reaction test. Analyses were performed using the STATA version 14.0 at a significance level of 0.05. Results In this study, 1294 new cancer patients were followed for 24 months (mean age: 58.7 years [range 10–95]). During the study period, COVID-19 was diagnosed in 9.4% of the patients with hospitalization rate of 3.4%, an ICU admission rate of 0.7%, and COVID-19 mortality rate of 4.9%. Hematological malignancies (ORU= 2.6, CI95% 1.28–5.34), receiving palliative treatments (ORA=3.03, CI95% 1.6–5.45) and receiving radiotherapy (ORA=2.07, 1.17–3.65) were the most common predictive factors of COVID infection in cancer patients. Also, the COVID mortality was higher in brain cancer patients (p = 0.07), metastatic disease (p = 0.01) and patients receiving palliative treatments (p = 0.02). Conclusion In patients suffering from cancer, COVID-19 infection can be predicted by cancer type, palliative care, and radiotherapy in cancer patients. Furthermore, brain cancers, metastasis, and palliative care were all associated with COVID-19-related mortality.

Palliative Care in Breast Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review.

Background:The COVID-19 pandemic has harmed the provision of palliative care (PC) services for women with breast cancer due to all the restrictions that came along with the virus.Objective:To map the available evidence on the situation of PC in breast cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods:A scoping review was carried out based on the methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The search was conducted in nine databases, one electronic repository, and one library, using controlled vocabularies.Results:Twenty-nine articles and seven documents were included. The majority (11.4% each) were published in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States, 38.9% addressed palliative radiotherapy (RT), and 47.2% consisted of recommendations. From the content analysis, five categories were obtained focused on the recommendations on changes in palliative treatment guidelines and the response of PC teams to the evolving crisis.Conclusions:The evidence pointed to the management of general PC, palliative RT, palliative chemotherapy, management of metastatic breast cancer, and use of technologies in palliative care. No recommendations were found to manage frequent symptoms in PC, indicating the need to develop primary studies that investigate these aspects in detail in this vulnerable group.Implications:The results contained in this document can provide professionals working in this field of care with a global view of how other teams have dealt with the pandemic, thereby identifying the best guidelines to apply in their reality, taking into account the clinical and social situation of each patient.

Rationalizing Emotions: A Secondary Analysis of the Supportive and Palliative Cancer Care Clinicians’ Experiences During COVID-19 (GP766)

Outcomes1. Recall two emotions that oncology clinicians experienced during COVID-192. Recognize one pattern of mixed emotions experienced by clinicians during COVID-19BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has called for a radical change in the delivery of oncology and palliative care services. In the first phase of the pandemic, oncology care was disrupted, with delayed screening and postponement of life-saving treatments including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries. Psycho-oncology care shifted due to social isolation, visitor restrictions, fear of infection, and transitions to telehealth. Emerging research is examining these effects on the patient and family unit; however, there is limited research exploring the emotional impact on cancer and palliative care clinicians. We know that healthcare professionals worldwide are experiencing immense strain, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and burnout, and many are considering leaving their profession. Understanding the emotional experience of clinicians in the early phase of the pandemic is key to addressing these issues.MethodsThrough a secondary analysis of qualitative data collected in the Virtual Supportive Cancer Care Research study, clinician interview transcripts were analyzed using an interpretive descriptive approach. Clinician participants represented various supportive and palliative roles in oncology care, including the disciplinary perspectives of nurse practitioners, social workers, dieticians, nurses, and physicians.FindingsClinicians experienced a plethora of emotions. These emotions were experienced on four axes: overt or latent; independent, sequential, or simultaneous; mixed emotions, which were experienced in three main patterns (contradictory, interwoven, and rationalizing); and internalized or externalized. All emotions could exist on multiple axes and ultimately guided clinicians’ reactions, responses, and reflections on their emotions as well as their behaviors.ConclusionUndoubtedly, clinicians have been significantly impacted both physically and emotionally during the pandemic. We are now faced with a unique opportunity to support clinicians holistically, as we do with patients. This study is a first step in unpacking what is behind clinician emotions and processing patterns in extreme care contexts such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acupuncture and Moxibustion for Cancer-Related Fatigue: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.

Simple SummaryAcupuncture, per se, is not used for treating cancer. However, acupuncture is used for treating several cancer-related symptoms, such as, for example, pain, antiestrogen-induced hot flashes, as well as cancer-related fatigue (CRF). There are several studies that assess the evidence of acupuncture for palliative cancer treatment; but there are none for CRF. The aim of this overview, therefore, was to comprehensively summarize and critically evaluate the current evidence of the efficacy of AT in the management of CRF.Although acupuncture (AT) is used in the treatment of CRF, the evidence from different systematic reviews (SRs) of AT has not yet been comprehensively evaluated. Moxibustion, which is a treatment method that is well established within Traditional East Asian Medicine, applies the heat of burning herbs towards or onto special points on the skin. Commonly, the herb Artemisia vulgaris, is used. It has been used for palliative cancer care, as well as for CRF. The aim of this overview was to evaluate the efficacy of AT and moxibustion in the management of CRF. Eleven databases were searched through for studies that were published from their dates of inception to February 2022. The study selection, the data extraction, and the assessment were performed independently by two researchers. The methodological and report quality were assessed by using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2) tool. The evidence quality was evaluated by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Fifteen SRs on AT (n = 10) and moxibustion (n = 5) treatments for CRF were included, and they include 169 randomized controlled trials and 14,392 participants. All of the SRs that were evaluated by the AMASTAR-2 had more than one deficiency, and so all of the SRs were rated as either low or critically low. For the GRADE, 18 outcomes were rated as very-low-quality evidence, 13 as low-quality evidence, 3 as moderate-quality evidence, and 0 as high-quality evidence. Most of the SRs reached the potential benefits of AT for CRF. No serious adverse effects were identified. In conclusion, the evidence suggests that, despite the advantages of AT in terms of the improvement in and the safety of the treatment of CRF, the methodological quality of most of these studies is low, which limits our ability to draw definitive meanings. Further research of high quality is needed in order to confirm these findings.

The Use of Low-Dose Methadone as Add-On to Ongoing Opioid Treatment in Palliative Cancer Care-An Underrated Treatment?

The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge of low-dose methadone treatment in palliative cancer care. In Sweden, methadone is quite common in specialized palliative care, where almost a tenth of patients are prescribed this drug. Negative attitudes towards methadone do not seem to prevent it from being used for pain management, and by starting with low doses and then increasing slowly and gradually, methadone can apparently be introduced safely. It is still uncertain whether methadone has a better analgesic effect than other opioids. However, for pain relief in cancer patients with severe and complex cancer-related pain, NMDA receptor inhibition with methadone may, in selected cases, be an attractive alternative, especially in the form of low-dose supplements to other ongoing opioids. Due to long half-life and complex metabolism, the use of methadone requires an experienced physician and solid follow-up. Continuous administration of opioids, including low-dose methadone, has been proven effective and safe in reducing pain in dying patients without increasing the risk of confusion, regardless of age.

The Financial Impact of Palliative Care and Aggressive Cancer Care on End-of-Life Health Care Costs.

Medicare cancer expenditures in the last month of life have increased. Aggressive cancer care at the end-of-life (ACEOL) is considered poor quality care. We used Geisinger Health Plan (GHP) last month's costs for cancer patients who died in 2018 and 2019 to determine the costs of and influence of Palliative Care (PC) on ACEOL. Patients with GHP ages 18-99 who died in 2018 and 2019 were included. Demographic, clinical characteristics, and Charlson Comorbid Index were compared across care groups defined as no ACEOL indicator, 1 or more than 1 indicator. Differences between groups were compared with Kruskal-Wallis tests and one-way ANOVA for 3 groups. Median two-sample tests and independent t-tests compared groups of 2. A P-value </= .05 indicated statistical significance. Of 608 eligible patients; 261 had no indicator, 133 had 1 and 214 > 1. There were incremental cost increases with each additional ACEOL indicator (p = < .0001). Palliative Care <90days before death was associated with increased costs while consultations >90days before death lowered cost (P < .0001) due to reduced chemotherapy in the last month. Completed ADs reduced cost by $4000. ACEOL indicators multiply costs during the last month of life. Palliative care instituted >90days before death reduces chemotherapy in the last month of life and AD reduces health care costs. Cancer health care costs increase with indicators of ACEOL. Palliative care consultations >90days before death; ADs reduce cancer health care costs.

Ressenti des patients atteints de cancer en soins palliatifs exclusifs: vers un binôme médecin généraliste, cancérologue?

In palliative care, cancer patients' thoughts about support given by their general practitioner are poorly described in the literature. General practitioners are involved in the management of cancer patients in palliative care, but when contact with the oncologist become less frequent, the place of the patient's different doctors becomes difficult to define. The objective of our work is to analyze the patient's perception of the place and role of the general practitioner. Qualitative study by individual semi-directed interviews, with voluntary patients with solid cancer in palliative care. Patients were selected by palliative care physicians. A thematic analysis was performed on the basis of the patients' verbatim transcripts. Seventeen patients were interviewed and four main themes were highlighted: a perception of abandonment, a resignation to call the general practitioner, an omnipresence of the oncologist who seems not to leave the place to the general practitioner and a search for global support. The general practitioner did not appear to be empathetic nor supportive enough and was not available enough. Patients are looking for empathy and for their doctors to listen. Our work shows a certain disappointment of the patients regarding the place and role of their general practitioner. This disappointment reflects the insufficient coordination between hospital and community care setting. While the early integration of palliative care is becoming a standard of care, the patients' testimony commits us to improve the articulation between the oncologist and the general practitioner.

End-of-life care in cancer patients: how much drug therapy and how much palliative care? Record linkage study in Northern Italy

ObjectivesInvestigating end-of-life use of anticancer drugs and of palliative care services.DesignPopulation based cohort linked to mortality registry and administrative databases.SettingEmilia-Romagna Region (Northern Italy).Participants55 625 residents who died of cancer between...

Notion of a good death for patients with cancer: a qualitative systematic review protocol

IntroductionPromoting the quality of death and achieving a good death is one of the most important goals of palliative care in cancer care. Few studies synthesised views of patients with...

Appetite in Palliative Cancer Patients and Its Association with Albumin, CRP and Quality of Life in Men and Women-Cross-Sectional Data from the Palliative D-Study.

Albumin is an important biochemical marker in palliative cancer care, used for assessment of nutritional status, disease severity and prognosis. Our primary aim was to investigate sex differences in the association between appetite and albumin levels in palliative cancer patients. We also aimed to study associations between appetite and C-reactive protein (CRP), Quality of Life (QoL), pain and fatigue. In the Palliative D-cohort, consisting of 266 men and 264 women, we found a correlation between appetite and albumin; low appetite, measured with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, correlated significantly with low albumin in men: (r = −0.33, p < 0.001), but not in women (r = −0.03, p = 0.65). In a regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors, results were similar. Lower appetite was correlated with higher CRP in men (r = 0.27, p < 0.001), but not in women (r = 0.12, p = 0.05). Appetite was correlated with QoL, fatigue and pain in both men and women; those with a low appetite had a low QoL and high fatigue- and pain-scores (p < 0.001). In conclusion, our results indicated possible sex differences in the associations between appetite and albumin, and between appetite and CRP, in palliative care patients. Understanding these associations could provide additional value for clinical practice.

The strategic role of good governance in quality care and control of cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally and its economic impact is increasing on yearly basis, especially in transiting countries. The health outcomes (i.e., morbidity and mortality rates, quality-adjusted life years, disability-adjusted life years, life expectancy from birth, and infant mortality rate) of people living with cancers (PLWCs) depend largely on health financing which revolves around health economics and governance. This study highlighted the global burden of cancer disease and the role of good governance in improving the quality care and health indices of PLWC. To actualize this, the study focused on the application of a strategic operational framework of good governance and health financing for quality care and cancer control, especially in low-income countries, where there are leadership malfeasances. This short communication was an integrated review of works of literature on global cancer statistics updates, health economics, health governance, and palliative care of cancer patients using PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, cancer control guidelines, Google Scholar, and African Journal Online as databases. The paper presented a synthesis of the reviewed articles and the expected outcome of the possible interventions on cancer control. The article was analyzed and grouped according to the following categories namely health indices and social determinants of health (SDH) in a nation, health economics and health governance in cancer control, operational frameworks for cancer control, and palliative care in cancer control. To achieve sustainable cancer control in any nation, good political will, good governance, and equitable health financing are vital priority areas of action. Good governance can improve the quality of life of PLWC when the government in collaboration with other key stakeholders passionate about cancer control provides sustainable favorable SDH, in addition to operational frameworks for cancer control, protection, prevention, treatment, and awareness promotion.

Machine learning-based demand forecasting in cancer palliative care home hospitalization

ObjectiveTo develop an effective Management Information System (MIS) that is empowered by predictive models that can forecast the demand of end-stage cancer home hospitalized patients in individual and population levels, and help palliative care service systems operate smoothly where the demand is highly fluctuating, resources are limited, expensive, and hardly adjustable in a short time, and the backlog and shortage costs are high. MethodInspired by real problems faced by a palliative care center providing various medical, nursing, psychological, and social services in a home-based setting, two Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) based deep learning models are proposed for demand forecasting at both individual and population levels. The individual-level model can predict the type and time of the next service required for a specific patient with a given demographic and health profile, and the population-level model helps with the prediction of next week’s demand for various services in a center supporting a specific patient population. Predicted demand informs on optimal resource and operations plan through a well designed MIS. ResultsExperiments were conducted on a dataset consisting of more than 4000 cancer patients with a Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) of 40 and below discharged from hospital to home under a national palliative care center’s home hospitalization service in Iran from September 2012 to July 2019. The models outperformed conventional time-series forecasting methods where applicable. Results indicate that the proposed models were capable of forecasting patients’ demand with astonishing performances both individually and on larger scales. ConclusionIntelligent demand forecasting can help palliative care home hospitalization systems to overcome the challenge of progressive demand growth when a considerable portion of patients are approaching death, followed by a sudden drop in demand when those patients pass away. It helps to improve resource utilization and quality of care concurrently.

Expert consensus on ensartinib in the treatment of anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung cancer

The mutation rate of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer is 3% to 7%. Due to its low mutation rate and better long-term survival compared with epidermal growth factor receptor-positive non-small cell lung cancer patients, therefore, it's called "diamond mutation". At present, there are three generations of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) drugs in the world. The first-generation ALK-TKI drug approved in China is crizotinib, and the second-generation drugs are alectinib, ceritinib and ensartinib. Among them, ensartinib is an ALK-TKI domestically developed, and its efficacy is similar to that of alectinib. The main adverse event is transient rash, and compliance to ensartinib is better from the perspective of long-term survival of patients. The manifestation of rash caused by ensartinib is different from that of other ALK-TKI drugs. In order to facilitate clinical application and provide patients with more treatment options, under the guidance of the Committee of Cancer Rehabilitation and Palliative Care of China Anti-Cancer Association, this article collects and summarizes the common adverse reactions of ensartinib. Based on the clinical practice, a clear adverse classification and specific treatment plan are formulated, in order to provide a corresponding reference for clinicians to make more comprehensive clinical decisions.

Deprescribing in Palliative Cancer Care.

The aim of palliative care is to maintain as high a quality of life (QoL) as possible despite a life-threatening illness. Thus, the prescribed medications need to be evaluated and the benefit of each treatment must be weighed against potential side effects. Medications that contribute to symptom relief and maintained QoL should be prioritized. However, studies have shown that treatment with preventive drugs that may not benefit the patient in end-of-life is generally deprescribed very late in the disease trajectory of cancer patients. Yet, knowing how and when to deprescribe drugs can be difficult. In addition, some drugs, such as beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors, anti-depressants and cortisone need to be scaled down slowly to avoid troublesome withdrawal symptoms. In contrast, other medicines, such as statins, antihypertensives and vitamins, can be discontinued directly. The aim of this review is to give some advice according to when and how to deprescribe medications in palliative cancer care according to current evidence and clinical praxis. The review includes antihypertensive drugs, statins, anti-coagulants, aspirin, anti-diabetics, proton pump inhibitors, histamin-2-blockers, bisphosphonates denosumab, urologicals, anti-depressants, cortisone, thyroxin and vitamins.