ABSTRACT
Background: There is evidence that early admission to the palliative care (PC) program in adult cancer patients improves symptoms management, reduces unplanned hospital admissions, minimizes aggressive cancer treatments, and enables patients to make decisions about their end-of-life (EOL) care. Objectives: This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine whether late admission to a PC program is associated with aggressive treatment at the EOL in adult patients with oncological diseases from their admission until death. Design/Methods: The study evaluated the aggressiveness in EOL management in patients with advanced stage oncological diseases who died between 2017 and 2019. The study population was divided into two groups based on the time of admission to the PC program. Aggressiveness at the EOL was measured using five criteria: treatment, hospital admission and duration, emergency department care, and/or intensive care unit utilization. Results: The study found a significant difference in the rate of aggressive EOL treatments between late admission to PC care and early admission [adjusted EOL 79.6% versus 70.4%; relative risk (RR): 1.98, 90% CI: 1.08-3.59, p: 0.061]; In the analysis of secondary variables, a significant association was observed between early admission to PC and the suspension of active treatments at the EOL, leading to a decrease in aggressiveness (77% versus 55.8%; RR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.14-1.67, p: 0.004). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that early referral to PC services is associated with less aggressive treatment at the EOL, including suspension of active treatments.
ABSTRACT
Since ancient times cannabis has been used for recreational and medicinal purposes. It is a significant source of chemical compounds, most of them called phytocannabinoids. These compounds have several physiological effects and produce their effects primarily by binding to endogenous cannabinoid receptors such as CB1 and CB2, among others. Cannabis has potential therapeutic properties and its preparations have been used as traditional remedies to treat pain and emesis. Synthetic cannabinoids are used clinically as analgesics, antispastics, antiemetics, and appetite stimulants. Significant cannabis toxicity is rare in adults; however, it can produce countless acute and chronic side effects. The quality of the evidence in this field is limited by the short duration of the trials, poor sample sizes, lack of a control group, and the existence of bias in most of the reviewed studies. Therefore, a larger number of studies with better methodological quality is required to support the safe use of this therapy. The decision to include cannabinoids as a treatment for any of the conditions described will depend on the evidence, the use of previous therapies, and the type of patient.
El cannabis se ha utilizado desde la antigüedad con fines recreativos y medicinales. Es una fuente muy rica de compuestos químicos, la mayoría denominados fitocannabinoides, que tienen una variedad de efectos fisiológicos, principalmente por su unión a receptores cannabinoides endógenos como el CB1 y CB2, entre otros. El cannabis tiene propiedades terapéuticas potenciales y sus preparaciones se han utilizado como remedios tradicionales para tratar el dolor y la emesis. Los cannabinoides sintéticos se utilizan clínicamente como analgésicos, antiespasmódico, antieméticos y estimulantes del apetito. La toxicidad significativa del cannabis es poco común en los adultos, sin embargo, puede tener múltiples efectos adversos agudos y crónicos. La calidad de la evidencia en este campo se ha visto limitada por la corta duración de los estudios, los reducidos tamaños de las muestras, la falta de grupos de control y la existencia de sesgos en la mayoría de los estudios revisados. En este contexto, son necesarios más estudios de mejor calidad metodológica para apoyar el uso seguro de esta terapia en otras enfermedades. La decisión de incorporar los cannabinoides como terapia en alguna de las condiciones descritas depende de la evidencia, el uso de terapias previas y el tipo de paciente.
Subject(s)
Antiemetics , Cannabinoids , Cannabis , Medical Marijuana , Analgesics , Antiemetics/therapeutic use , Appetite Stimulants/therapeutic use , Cannabinoids/therapeutic use , Humans , Medical Marijuana/therapeutic use , Receptors, CannabinoidABSTRACT
El cannabis se ha utilizado desde la antigüedad con fines recreativos y medicinales. Es una fuente muy rica de compuestos químicos, la mayoría denominados fitocannabinoides, que tienen una variedad de efectos fisiológicos, principalmente por su unión a receptores cannabinoides endógenos como el CB1 y CB2, entre otros. El cannabis tiene propiedades terapéuticas potenciales y sus preparaciones se han utilizado como remedios tradicionales para tratar el dolor y la emesis. Los cannabinoides sintéticos se utilizan clínicamente como analgésicos, antiespasmódico, antieméticos y estimulantes del apetito. La toxicidad significativa del cannabis es poco común en los adultos, sin embargo, puede tener múltiples efectos adversos agudos y crónicos. La calidad de la evidencia en este campo se ha visto limitada por la corta duración de los estudios, los reducidos tamaños de las muestras, la falta de grupos de control y la existencia de sesgos en la mayoría de los estudios revisados. En este contexto, son necesarios más estudios de mejor calidad metodológica para apoyar el uso seguro de esta terapia en otras enfermedades. La decisión de incorporar los cannabinoides como terapia en alguna de las condiciones descritas depende de la evidencia, el uso de terapias previas y el tipo de paciente.
Since ancient times cannabis has been used for recreational and medicinal purposes. It is a significant source of chemical compounds, most of them called phytocannabinoids. These compounds have several physiological effects and produce their effects primarily by binding to endogenous cannabinoid receptors such as CB1 and CB2, among others. Cannabis has potential therapeutic properties and its preparations have been used as traditional remedies to treat pain and emesis. Synthetic cannabinoids are used clinically as analgesics, antispastics, antiemetics, and appetite stimulants. Significant cannabis toxicity is rare in adults; however, it can produce countless acute and chronic side effects. The quality of the evidence in this field is limited by the short duration of the trials, poor sample sizes, lack of a control group, and the existence of bias in most of the reviewed studies. Therefore, a larger number of studies with better methodological quality is required to support the safe use of this therapy. The decision to include cannabinoids as a treatment for any of the conditions described will depend on the evidence, the use of previous therapies, and the type of patient.
