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A. Berthelsen
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MINI 28 - Psychological Impact of Lung Cancer and its Treatment (ID 150)
- Event: WCLC 2015
- Type: Mini Oral
- Track: Palliative and Supportive Care
- Presentations: 1
- Moderators:A. Oton
- Coordinates: 9/09/2015, 16:45 - 18:15, 102+104+106
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MINI28.06 - Patterns of Palliative and Psychosocial Care in Stage IV NSCLC in South Western Sydney (ID 118)
17:15 - 17:20 | Author(s): A. Berthelsen
- Abstract
- Presentation
Background:
South West Sydney (SWS) is a region of greater ethnic diversity and poorer socioeconomic status than the Australian average. Over half of all patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in SWS present with metastatic disease. The primary goals of management are palliation of symptoms and maintenance of quality of life. Patients need adequate access to specialist palliative care (PC) and psychosocial care (PSC) in order to achieve these goals. The aims of this study were to evaluate referrals to PC and PSC services in SWS residents with Stage IV NSCLC and identify factors associated with utilisation of these services.
Methods:
SWS residents diagnosed with Stage IV NSCLC between January 2006 and December 2012 were identified from the SWS Local Health District Clinical Cancer Registry. Supplementary information was sourced from oncology and hospital electronic medical records and palliative care databases. Modified Poisson regression was used to analyse significant factors associated with referrals to PC and PSC. Cox regression was used for multivariate survival analysis.
Results:
A total of 923 patients were identified. The median age was 69 years, 63% were male and 54% were born overseas. Active treatment was received by 65% of patients with 34% receiving chemotherapy and 65% receiving radiotherapy. Eighty-three percent of patients were referred to PC, with 67% occurring within 8 weeks of diagnosis. Eighty-two percent of patients were referred to PSC, with referrals to social workers being most frequent (76%) followed by specialist nursing (26%) and psychology/psychiatry (16%). On multivariate analysis, radiotherapy treatment, M1b disease and residential location were associated with PC referrals, and radiotherapy treatment, PC referral and residential location were associated with PSC referrals. Age, language spoken, country of birth, socioeconomic status, year of diagnosis and multidisciplinary team discussion were not significant factors in referral to either service. The median overall survival was 4.3 months and one year survival was 19%. On multivariate analysis, factors associated with improved survival were active treatment, chemotherapy and multidisciplinary team discussion.
Conclusion:
Rates of referral to PC and PSC services were high in this cohort suggesting good access to care. Greater referrals were particularly associated with patients undergoing radiotherapy. There were no sociodemographic barriers to referral. Some geographic differences were noted in referrals to both services. Further investigation into referral gaps will guide service delivery to improve quality of life and care for future patients.
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