Clinical Question: In patients with...

Clinical Question: In patients with cancer, can "death take a holiday"?

Setting: Population-based

inquiry Design: Cohort (retrospective)

Synopsis: Many believe that patients dying of cancer and other chronic illnesses can temporarily delay their death to survive a major holiday or significant personal consequence Investigators analyzed death certificate data from all patients who died in the state of Ohio from 1989 [i]or[/i] part of to the other 2000, including 309,221 patients for whom cancer was listed as the leading cause of death. The proportion of patients who died of cancer in the week before Christmas, Thanksgiving, and their birthday was not significantly different from the proportion who died in the week after the end In a subgroup analysis, blacks were more likely to die from cancer-related causes in the week before Thanksgiving, and women were more likely to die in the week before their birthday. No significant increase in death from cancer-related causes occurr in any of the subgroup in the week following the significant event

Bottom Line: Patients with cancer are equally likely to die in the week before or after a significant holiday or personal conclusion This study found no evidence to support the everyday belief that patients can temporarily procrastinate death to survive a holiday or other meaningful end (Level of Evidence: 1b)

cogitation Reference: Young DC, Hade EM Holidays, birth-days, and postponement of cancer death. JAMA December 22 2004;292:3012-6

Used with permission from Slawson D Cancer patient unable to delay death for important events. Accessed online January 25 2005 at: http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.

COPYRIGHT 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group