Assisted suicide in patients with cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Medical Ethics

Background:

• Limited data exists on long-term trends of assisted suicide (AS) specifically within the cancer patient population.
• Understanding these trends is crucial for palliative care and end-of-life decision-making in oncology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the long-term development and trends of assisted suicide (AS) among cancer patients in Switzerland.
• To compare demographic and disease-specific characteristics of cancer patients undergoing AS with those of other conditions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of assisted suicide data from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office spanning an 18-year period (1999-2016).
• Inclusion of 6553 cases of assisted suicide, with a focus on cancer as the underlying condition.
• Comparison of age-standardized rates and demographic factors between cancer patients and those with other diseases.

Main Results:

• Cancer was the most common underlying disease for AS (41.3%), with lung, breast, and prostate cancers being most frequent.
• The proportion of cancer-related AS deaths increased from 0.3% to 2.1% between 1999-2003 and 2014-2016.
• Cancer patients undergoing AS were significantly younger (median age 73) than those with other conditions (median age 80).

Conclusions:

• The proportion of cancer patients choosing AS has increased substantially over the study period, nearly sixfold.
• Despite the increase, assisted suicide remains a rare occurrence among cancer patients, accounting for approximately 2% of all cancer-related deaths.
• The median age of individuals undergoing AS due to cancer has risen over time.