Receipt of specialized palliative care and health care utilization at the end of life in hematological cancer patients - the Stockholm experience.

Background: The treatments of hematological malignancies tend to be intense, and compared with solid tumors, less is known about the health care consumption during end of life (EOL). Therefore, the aim was to study the receipt of specialized palliative care (SPC) and how it affects health care utilization, in relation to sex, age, socioeconomics, and frailty risk (Hospital Frailty Risk Score [HFRS]).

Methods: In a retrospective, observational registry study, all patients who died of a hematological malignancy during the years 2015-2021 in the Stockholm County were included and analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistic regression models.

Results: Of the 2,858 included patients (mean age 76 years, 41% women), 38% had myeloid malignancies, 41% lymphocytic malignancies, and 21% had myeloma. During the last 3 months of life, 56% received SPC, with an overrepresentation of women, aOR 1.35 (1.16-1.58, p < 0.0001), whereas persons with risk of frailty (HFRS) were underrepresented, aOR 0.74 (0.63-0.86, p < 0.0001). Unplanned ER visits were more likely in persons aged over 80 years (p = 0.004) and in persons with frailty risk (p < 0.0001). Patients receiving SPC had a substantially reduced likelihood of ER visits, aOR 0.34 (0.29-0.40, p < 0.0001). Emergency hospitals as place of death was positively associated with frailty risk, aOR 1.50 (1.23-1.83, p < 0.0001) but negatively associated with age over 80 years (p < 0.0001) and especially with receipt of SPC, aOR 0.05 (0.04-0.06, p < 0.0001).

Interpretation: Receipt of SPC could possibly reduce the need for emergency care in the end of life and the Stockholm model might facilitate referral to SPC for hematological patients.