Shifting US location patterns in leukaemia mortality: retrospective analysis

Leukaemia is a haematological malignancy with high mortality, yet end-of-life care patterns remain underexplored. This study analysed trends in the place of death among leukaemia decedents and assessed demographic disparities in end-of-life care.

A retrospective observational study was conducted using the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's WONDER and National Center for Health Statistics mortality databases (2008-2020). Leukaemia deaths were identified from death certificates, and place of death was categorised as hospice, home, inpatient, nursing home or outpatient/emergency room. Temporal trends were analysed using the Mann-Kendall test, and logistic regression assessed associations between place of death and demographics.

Among 295 057 leukaemia-related deaths, inpatient deaths declined from 51% to 37% (τ=-0.872, p<0.001), while home deaths increased from 26% to 40% (τ=0.897, p<0.001). Hospice deaths nearly doubled from 5% to 9% (τ=0.692, p=0.001), and nursing home deaths declined from 11% to 8% (τ=-0.795, p<0.001). No significant trend was observed for outpatient/emergency room deaths. Younger adults (20-34 years) had the highest inpatient death rate (74%), decreasing with age, while home and hospice deaths increased among older adults. Racial disparities were evident, with non-Hispanic black, Hispanic and Asian patients more likely to die in hospitals and less likely to use hospice care than non-Hispanic whites.

Leukaemia-related deaths have increasingly shifted from hospitals to home and hospice, reflecting broader palliative care trends. However, racial disparities persist, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to improve equitable access to hospice and home-based palliative care.