What factors influence hospitalizations among dying cancer patients? An analysis of aggressive end-of-life cancer care

Aggressive end-of-life (EOL) care is usually considered to be of poor quality and little value, but cancer patients often make avoidable and distressing hospital visits shortly before death. Cancer patients’ quality of life has been more extensively studied than the quality of dying, which has only recently begun to garner attention in the research community. This exploratory study aimed to identify predictors of aggressive EOL cancer care, with the hope of revealing targets for deeper analysis. The results suggest that racial and ethnic minority status, greater neighborhood poverty, earlier stage at diagnosis, and presence of comorbidity increase the likelihood of receiving aggressive EOL care among dying cancer patients.