Holli K, Hakama M
Department of Public Health, University of Tampere, Finland.
BMJ. 1989 Jan 7;298(6665):13-4. doi: 10.1136/bmj.298.6665.13.
To assess the intensity of and changes in diagnostic investigations and treatment in the terminal stages of breast cancer 555 patients in the area of Tampere University Central Hospital in whom breast cancer had been diagnosed from 1977 to 1980 were followed up for five years. The case notes for the last visit of 519 patients were analysed. The amount of diagnostic activity was similar for those who died and for the survivors. A higher proportion of women who died than of women who survived received treatment at the last follow up visit, and 2.6 times as many of those dying within one week of the last visit were given chemotherapy as were survivors with recurrent disease. Resources devoted to diagnostic investigations and treatment of cancer in terminally ill patients could be better used for care of the patients. This would be more likely to improve the patients' quality of life and conserve resources.
为评估乳腺癌终末期诊断检查及治疗的强度与变化，对坦佩雷大学中心医院区域内1977年至1980年被诊断为乳腺癌的555例患者进行了为期五年的随访。分析了519例患者最后一次就诊的病历。死亡患者和存活患者的诊断活动量相似。在最后一次随访时，死亡女性接受治疗的比例高于存活女性，且在最后一次就诊后一周内死亡的患者接受化疗的人数是复发性疾病存活患者的2.6倍。用于晚期癌症患者诊断检查和治疗的资源可更好地用于患者护理。这更有可能改善患者的生活质量并节省资源。
