End-of-life intravenous chemotherapy administration patterns in the treatment of Queensland lung and pancreas cancer patients: a 10-year retrospective analysis

Background End-of-life (EOL) chemotherapy administration rates for solid tumours are 12-20% and are associated with a reduced quality of life, increased hospitalisation and incidence of death within an acute care facility. Aim We sought to determine the rate of EOL chemotherapy in government and private hospitals and determine the impact on hospitalisations and location of death in lung and pancreatic cancer patients. Methods Data were obtained from the Queensland Oncology Repository between 2005 and 2014. Lung (n = 16 501) and pancreatic cancer (n = 4144) deaths were analysed. EOL chemotherapy was determined to be within 30 days of death. Demographics, location of treatment and death are reported. Results Chemotherapy was administered to 6518 (40%) lung cancer and 1694 (41%) pancreatic cancer patients. A total of 1474 (9%) and 477 (12%) patients, respectively, received EOL chemotherapy. EOL chemotherapy was more common in males and those with distant metastatic disease, while less likely in the elderly and those with a lower socioeconomic status. EOL chemotherapy was more prevalent in large hospitals and was more common in private compared with government hospitals for pancreatic cancer (30 vs 26%; P < 0.001), while it was similar for lung cancer (24 vs 22%; P = 0.115). Death after EOL chemotherapy compared with all cancer deaths was more common in an acute care facility (lung cancer: 60 vs 37%; P < 0.001; pancreatic cancer: 53 vs 36%; P < 0.001). Conclusions EOL chemotherapy rates were similar to Australian yet marginally lower than international rates, with variation dependent on the size and type of facility and increased the rate of deaths within an acute care facility.