Places of Death from Cancer in a Rural Location

Publisher： Karger

E-ISSN： 2296-5262|30|3|105-108

ISSN： 2296-5270

Source： Oncology Research and Treatment, Vol.30, Iss.3, 2007-02, pp. : 105-108

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Abstract

Background: Most people would like to die at home, however,this wish still cannot be realized to any satisfactoryextent. Provision of qualified palliative care can increasethe death rate at home. Distribution of places ofdeath of cancer patients in rural locations and possiblefactors influencing this distribution are still unknown. Patientsand Methods: We retrospectively evaluated thedata relating to death certificates of cancer patients issuedbetween 1997 and 2003 by the administrative district‘Sächsische Schweiz’. Results: In small-town andrural locations, the places of death from cancer wereequally distributed among hospital and home. Patients livingin a rural location and diagnosed as having breastcancer were more likely to die at home. Since 2001, thenumber of breast cancer patients dying at home hasbeen increasing. Conclusions: Rural locations provide favorableconditions for home deaths. High therapy costsand transfer of expensive therapies away from hospitalsinto the outpatient therapy sector appear to have an effecton the place where patients are finally cared for andwhere they eventually die. This circumstance meets thewishes of most patients and leads to a relevant cost savingfor the healthcare system. An effective and rigoroushealth and economic policy is necessary in order to realizean extensive home care for terminally ill patients.