@article {Poddabmjspcare-2021-003031, author = {Marta Giorgia Podda and Elisabetta Schiavello and Carlo Alfredo Clerici and Roberto Luksch and Monica Terenziani and Andrea Ferrari and Michela Casanova and Filippo Spreafico and Cristina Meazza and Veronica Biassoni and Stefano Chiaravalli and Nadia Puma and Luca Bergamaschi and Giovanna Gattuso and Giovanna Sironi and Olga Nigro and Maura Massimino}, title = {Children and adolescent solid tumours and high-intensity end-of-life care: what can be done to reduce acute care admissions?}, elocation-id = {bmjspcare-2021-003031}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003031}, publisher = {British Medical Journal Publishing Group}, abstract = {Despite improvements in survival, cancer remains the leading cause of non-accidental death in children and adolescents, who risk receiving high-intensity end-of-life (HI-EOL) care.Objective To analyse treatments for relapses (particularly in the last weeks of life), assess their impact on the EOL, identify patients most likely to receive HI-EOL care and examine whether palliative care services can contain the intensity of EOL care.Methods This retrospective study involved patients treated at the paediatric oncology unit of the Istituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan who died between 2018 and 2020. The primary outcome was HI-EOL care, defined as: >=1 session of intravenous chemotherapy \<14 days before death; >=1 hospitalisation in intensive care in the last 30 days of life and >=1 emergency room admission in the last 30 days of life.Results The study concerned 68 patients, and 17 had HI-EOL care. Patients given specific in-hospital treatments in the last 14 days of their life more frequently died in hospital. Those given aggressive EOL care were less likely to die at home or in the hospice. Patients with central nervous system (CNS) tumours were more likely to have treatments requiring hospitalisation, and to receive HI-EOL care.Conclusion These results underscore the importance of considering specific treatments at the EOL with caution. Treatments should be administered at home whenever possible.The early activation of palliative care, especially for fragile and complicated patients like those with CNS cancers, could help families cope with the many problems they face.Data are available in a public, open access repository. Data are available only with authorisation by ethical commettee.}, issn = {2045-435X}, URL = {https://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2021/09/06/bmjspcare-2021-003031}, eprint = {https://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2021/09/06/bmjspcare-2021-003031.full.pdf}, journal = {BMJ Supportive \& Palliative Care} }