1. Unapproved and unproven cancer treatments in patients admitted to palliative care units.
- Author
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Akagi H, Katsumata N, Suzuki K, Masukawa K, Morita T, Kizawa Y, Tsuneto S, Shima Y, and Miyashita M
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Cross-Sectional Studies, Middle Aged, Aged, Japan, Surveys and Questionnaires, Adult, Aged, 80 and over, Logistic Models, Bereavement, Communication, Multivariate Analysis, Palliative Care methods, Palliative Care statistics & numerical data, Neoplasms therapy, Neoplasms psychology, Family psychology
- Abstract
Purpose: To clarify the current use of unapproved and unproven cancer treatment (UUCT) among the bereaved families of patients with cancer who died in palliative care units, the financial burden and psychological experiences of the families, and the relationship between patients in palliative care who used UUCT and communication with their physicians'., Methods: This study was conducted as part of a cross-sectional, anonymous nationwide survey of the bereaved family members of cancer patients who died in palliative care unit in Japan., Results: Questionnaires were sent to 1,039 bereaved family members, and responses were received from 661 (64%). Of these, 558 were included in the study after excluding the 103 who did not complete the questionnaire. A total of 7.3% (41 of 558) of patients received UUCT. Of these, 34% (14 of 41) of patients were informed that the treatment was in the research phase, and 49% (20 of 41) were informed that the efficacy of the treatment was unknown. Regarding expectations for UUCT, 61% (25/41) expected to be cured, and 80% (33/41) expected it to slow disease progression. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) was associated with receiving UUCT (p = 0.024), and patients who could discuss CAM with their doctors tended to receive UUCT (p = 0.054)., Conclusion: Patients in palliative care unit who expect to cure tended to receive UUCT. These results highlight the challenge of telling patients that UUCT is ineffective and informing them of their prognosis and severe medical conditions., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Ethical approval for the study was granted by the ethics committee of Tohoku University Hospital and all participating institutions (2017–2-236–1). Ethics accordance: Our study was conducted in accordance with the Henschilki Declaration. Consent to participate: The return of the questionnaires was considered as informed consent for this study. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.) more...
- Published
- 2024
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