Main Regional Center for Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit, La Maddalena Cancer Center, Via San Lorenzo 312, 90146, Palermo, Italy.
Support Care Cancer. 2024 Oct 22;32(11):741. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08948-8.
The aim was to assess the characteristics of patients who required imaging studies during admission to an acute supportive palliative care unit (ASPCU).
A consecutive number of patients who performed imaging studies during ASPCU admission in a month period were assessed. Epidemiological data, ongoing anticancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, reasons for admission, referral, and type of imaging study were recorded. Indications, findings, consequent actions for treatment, prognosis, and discharge were also collected.
Twenty-one of 56 patients admitted to ASPCU in the period taken into consideration were assessed. Pain and deterioration of the general condition were the most frequent indications for admission. Computed tomography (CT) was the most frequent imaging study performed. Indications for performing imaging studies depended on individual clinical needs. Findings suggested different clinical decisions, after a comprehensive oncological and palliative care assessment and family conference, the most frequent of which was to withdraw oncological treatments. The majority of patients underwent transition to palliative care and were discharged home or to hospice.
Imaging studies were of paramount importance for clinical treatment and decision-making process in an intensive ASPCU. There is the need to explore the need and the possible outcomes of imaging studies, as well cost-effectiveness in any ASPCU.
评估在急性支持性姑息治疗病房（ASPCU）住院期间需要进行影像学检查的患者的特征。
对一个月内 ASPCU 住院期间进行影像学检查的连续患者进行评估。记录人口统计学数据、正在进行的抗癌治疗、癌症诊断、入院原因、转介情况以及影像学检查的类型。还收集了影像学检查的适应证、结果、后续治疗行动、预后和出院情况。
在所考虑的时间段内，56 名入住 ASPCU 的患者中有 21 名接受了评估。疼痛和一般状况恶化是入院的最常见指征。计算机断层扫描（CT）是最常进行的影像学检查。进行影像学检查的指征取决于个体的临床需求。检查结果提示了不同的临床决策，经过全面的肿瘤学和姑息治疗评估以及家庭会议后，最常见的决策是停止肿瘤治疗。大多数患者过渡到姑息治疗，并出院回家或到临终关怀机构。
在密集型 ASPCU 中，影像学检查对临床治疗和决策过程至关重要。需要探索在任何 ASPCU 中进行影像学检查的必要性以及可能的结果和成本效益。
