New ACS research finds low uptake of supportive care at the end-of-life for patients with advanced cancer

New ACS research finds low uptake of supportive care at the end-of-life for patients with advanced cancer 
EurekAlert! - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Peer-Reviewed Publication by American Cancer Society; 2/21/25  
Despite considerable efforts to improve the quality of end-of-life care in the United States, a new retrospective study led by American Cancer Society (ACS) researchers revealed that close to half of patients with advanced cancer received potentially aggressive care at the end-of-life at the expense of supportive care. The findings are out today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Health Forum. ... Study results showed only one-quarter of patients diagnosed with advanced cancer received any palliative care in the last 6 months of life, and those who received it did so mainly in the month of death. Overall, 45% of decedents experienced any indicator of potentially aggressive care. There was an increase in the mean number of acute care visits (from 14.0 to 46.2 per 100 person-months), hospice use (from 6.6 to 73.9 per 100 person-months), palliative care (from 2.6 to 26.1 per 100 person-months), and advanced care planning (from 1.7 to 12.8 per 100 person-months) over the last 6 months of life. ... 
Editor's note: Click here for the research article, "Contemporary Patterns of End-of-Life Care Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Advanced Cancer."