End-of-life hospital care for cancer patients: an update

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada, and the number of new cases is expected to increase as the population ages and grows. This study examined the use of hospital services in the last month of life by adult cancer patients who died in Canadian acute care hospitals in fiscal year 2012-2013. Almost 25,000 Canadian cancer patients - excluding those in Quebec - died in acute care hospitals, representing approximately 45% of the estimated cancer deaths in 2012-2013. The proportion of in-hospital deaths varied across jurisdictions. Twenty-three percent of these patients were admitted to acute care multiple times in their last 28 days of life, with a higher percentage for rural (29%) compared to urban (21%) patients. Relatively few patients used intensive care units or received inpatient chemotherapy in their last 14 days of life.