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Hospital-Based End-of-Life Care and Costs for Older Patients With Malignant Brain Tumors

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Approximately half of patients with a diagnosis of primary malignant brain tumor (PMBT) or secondary malignant brain tumor (SMBT) are older than 65 years and experience disproportionate mortality and symptom burden.End-of-life care for patients with terminal cancer is often aggressive, costly, and discordant with patient preferences.1 However, a lack of knowledge remains about patterns of end-of-life care for the growing population of elderly people with a malignant brain tumor.This study compares hospital-based care and costs in the last 30 days of life for older patients with PMBT and SMBT, identifies potential risk factors for aggressive care, and evaluates the association between aggressive care and cost.

Source: JAMA Oncology

DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.1624