Background: Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPC) have a five-year survival of 2.7%. Studies have shown that patients with mPC receive aggressive care at the end of life (EOL), which has been associated with worse quality of life for patients and high use of health care resources when they are least likely to benefit patients. Multiple studies suggest that integration of palliative care (PC) teams often leads to less aggressive EOL care. Methods: A retrospective database of patients with mPC treated at a tertiary cancer center between 2010 and 2021 was analyzed for utilization of PC consultation and EOL care. Results: We identified 610 patients with mPC, of whom 39% were seen by PC, 56% were referred to hospice, and 91.8% are deceased. The average time from mPC diagnosis to PC consult was 232 days, the average time from PC consult to death was 121 days. Patients who had PC consultations were less likely to receive chemotherapy within 14 days of death (7.7% vs. 13.3%, p = 0.05), more likely to have a do not resuscitate (DNR) code status (83.3% vs. 44.5%, p < 0.0001), and more likely to be referred to hospice (83.9% vs. 35.9%, p < 0.0001). The average length of time on hospice was 24 days with no difference between those who saw PC and those who did not. Patients who were referred to hospice were also less likely to receive chemotherapy within 14 days of death (6.7% vs. 19.8%, p < 0.0001). Lastly, no significant difference was observed in mean overall survival from time of diagnosis in patient referred to PC and those who were not (349.4 vs. 349.6 days, p = 0.992). Conclusions: Patients with mPC who had a PC team involved in their care were significantly less likely to receive aggressive EOL care.
Keywords: end of life; palliative care referral; pancreatic cancer; quality of care at the end of life.