Frequency of antibiotic use in the end-of-life cancer patients

Abstract

Aim: Making decisions about how to maintain general medical care and manage complications for patients in the last stage of advanced cancer is difficult. The benefits and necessity of antibiotic use in the last period of life are controversial. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of antibiotic use in terminal stage cancer patients followed up with palliative care and died during their hospitalization. Material and Methods: One hundred twenty-one patients from January 2015 to June 2020 were included. Results: Among the 121 patients, 104 (86\%) received antibiotics. Eighty-five (81.7\%) patients received antibiotics until death. The mean duration of antibiotic treatment was 8.9 days. Antibiotic treatment was started 1 week before death in 88 (84.6\%) of 104 patients who used antibiotics. The number of patients whose antibiotic treatment was discontinued was 3 (15.7\%) in hospital wards and 16 (84.2\%) in the intensive care unit. Discussion: This is the first study on the frequency of antibiotic use in the end-of-life cancer patients in our country, and we found that the antibiotic prescription rate is high in dying cancer patients. It is questionable whether such care has positive effects on survival or quality of life. Guidelines on antibiotic use and discontinuation in patients with end-stage cancer should be developed.