[Specialized ambulatory palliative care for urological tumors]

Urologic tumors comprise about 20% of cancer diagnoses in Germany. To date, there are no studies with large datasets on the palliative situation of patients with urological tumors in the home environment, although dignified end-of-life care in the home environment is the wish of most cancer patients.

Data from 5125 patients who received specialized outpatient palliative care (SAPV) with an underlying urological cancer between 2017 and 2021 were included in the analysis.

The analysis showed that 91.5% of patients died at home and the symptom burden remained stable or decreased slightly during treatment. The median survival time of patients receiving SAPV was 24 days. Factors such as age, performance status, loss of appetite, weakness, and pain at the start of treatment influenced the survival time of the patients. Relatives were largely very satisfied with the care provided.

The study provides important insights into the palliative care of patients with urological tumors and underlines the importance of SAPV for dignified end-of-life care.