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End of Life Care Dr Anant Sachdev GPSI Palliative Medicine 07976 608871 [email protected] Learning objectives Urological Cancer symptoms in End of Life  Identify those at risk from the following 2 serious clinical scenarios  Understand treatment options  Refer appropriately  General principles  Symptoms Pain • Malaise, Fatigue & Cachexia • GI: Poor appetite, nausea • Weight loss • Bleeding • Incontinence • Delirium • Spinal Cord Compression • Hypercalcaemia • Malignant spinal cord compression  First contact is usually primary health care team! Common  Significant impact on QOL and survival  Requires rapid decision making  Incidence  5% of all cancers in final 2 years  Presenting feature  ACUP, NHL, myeloma and lung  Decreases with age, but 90% are >50yrs  Depends on primary site  60% are lung, prostate or breast  NHL, Multiple myeloma and renal (510%)  Colorectal, ACUP and sarcomas Pathophysiology Vertebral body mass – anterior compression  Vertebral body collapse  Direct tumour growth through vertebral neural foramen (lymphoma)  Metastases in epidural space (rare)  Clinical features Localisation 60-80% thoracic spine  15-30% lumbosacral  <10% cervical  50% have more than 1 level  Clinical features  Pain – early sign  Up to 95% for 8/52  localised then radicular  Worse when  recumbent  valsalva manoevre  Neck flexion/SLR  Motor deficits – late sign  60-85% weakness at diagnosis  2/3 non ambulatory at diagnosis  Thoracic>lumbosacral Clinical features  Sensory deficits – late sign  40-90% at diagnosis  Sensory level 1-5 segments below lesion  Lhermitte’s sign  Autonomic deficits – late sign  Urinary retention most common.  50% catheter dependent at diagnosis.  Unlikely to be an isolated sign. Investigation  Plain Xray  False negative 17%  Bone scan  Back pain + negative bone scan & plain xray unlikely to have SCC  CT Myelography  MRI  Sensitivity 93%, specificity 97%  Diagnostic accuracy 95%  Multi level common therefore image entire spine Spinal Cord Compression Treatment  Corticosteroids  8mg BD (morning and lunchtime) and PPI cover  Random daily BMs Bed rest and pressure area care  Bowel care  RT (early as poss)   1# for pain mgt if no poss of recovery;  5# for treatment Surgery  Early rehab  Recurrent Spinal Cord Compression 10% pt will develop local recurrence  25-50% pts surviving > 1 yr will experience local relapse.  Mgt – surgery (may be inappropriate); Reirradiation; supportive and palliative care  Spinal Cord Compression Prognosis  Median survival is 3-6 months If ambulatory pre compression 8-10 months Non-ambulatory pre compression 2-4 months Primary tumour myeloma / lymphoma – 6-9 months Primary tumour lung – 2-3 months  Almost all patients have recurrence within 3 years     Referral guidelines  Immediate investigation (same day) ◦ New onset weakness +/- sensory symptoms +/- autonomic symptoms ◦ Prescribe steroid + PPI  Urgent investigation ◦ Persistent severe back pain/nerve root pain without neurological symptoms if:      High risk group Thoracic pain Recumbent pain Exacerbated by valsalva manoevre/Lhermitte’s sign No investigation ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Too frail for treatment Very short life expectancy (weeks) Already irradiated to tolerance or unfit for neurosurgery So disabled, cord compression will not effect overall mobility Key points Common  Poor outcome unless early diagnosis  Pain is the key  Subtle motor changes  Neurological deficit is too late  Be aware of:   High risk groups  Clinical features Hypercalcaemia in Advanced Cancer The Commonest life-threatening metabolic emergency associated with advanced cancer  A condition which is usually amenable to treatment  If untreated distressing and fatal  Always consider when there is deterioration for no clear cause  Definition? Hypercalcaemia  Defined as corrected plasma calcium >2.6mmol/l  Significant symptoms usually develop above >3.0  Levels > 4.0 are fatal if untreated in a few days Hypercalcaemia  Incidence ◦ 10 – 20% of all cancer patients ◦ Up to 20% of patients develop hypercalcaemia without bone metastases ◦ Common cancers: bronchial, breast, myeloma, prostate ◦ Rare in gastric/colorectal cancer Hypercalcaemia  Cause / risk factors: ◦ Bone metastases ◦ PTHrP – secreting tumours e.g. Lung Cancer ◦ Dehydration, renal impairment ◦ Tamoxifen flare Hypercalcaemia  Pathogenesis: ◦ Increased bone resorption (osteolysis) and systemic release of humoral hypercalcaemic factors ◦ Calcium is released from bone, and in addition there is may be a decrease in excretion of urinary calcium  Calcium release from bone by production of locally active substances produced by bone metastases: ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Parathyroid hormone related peptide, Ectopic parathyroid secretion Tumour mediated calcitriol production (Some may occur with or without bone mets.) Recognising Hypercalcaemia General • Dehydration • Polydipsia • Polyuria • Pruritis Neurological • Fatigue • Myopathy • Psychosis • Confusion • Seizures • Coma Cardiac GI • Anorexia • Weight loss • Nausea and vomiting • Constipation / ileus • Bradycardia • Atrial arrhythmias • Ventricular arrhythmias • Cardiac asystole • Death Prognosis  Indicates disseminated Disease  Poor prognosis 80% die within 1 year  Median survival is 3 to 4 months  Hypercalcaemia likely to recur Hypercalcaemia Treatment may not be necessary if: the patient is very near to death or  there are no symptoms distressing the patient  Treatments of Hypercalcaemia All treatments involve the correction of serum calcium levels, which results in a marked decrease in symptoms    Rehydration Bisphosphonates Steroids Treatments of Hypercalcaemia Rehydration:  Dehydration due to vomiting and polyuria, large volume will lower calcium levels, note fluid-overload!  2-3 L/day usually  Avoid concomitant use of diuretics, Vitamin A and D which promote hypercalcaemia Treatments of Hypercalcaemia  Steroids: ◦ Have been shown to inhibit osteoclast activity and calcium absorption from the gut in vitro ◦ Limited to haematological and Breast malignancies when oral prednisolone 40-100mg/day is usually effective Treatments of Hypercalcaemia  Bisphosphonates ◦ Reduce bone resorption by inhibiting osteoclast activity ◦ Highly effective ◦ But take 48 hours to be effective ◦ Mainstay of hypercalcaemia treatment ◦ Further benefit is that of reduction of bone pain due to metastases Treatment Dehydration should be corrected with iv fluids  Most common choices of drug IV:  ◦ Zolendronic Acid: 4mg over 15 minutes ◦ Disodium Pamidronate: 30-90 mg over 2-4 hours Effect seen after 4 - 7 days  Lasts 2-4 weeks, many patients have monthly infusions  20% patients with hypercalcaemia will be resistant to infusion therapy  General EOL principles to follow:          Review patient regularly - holistically Get District nurses involved early, others eg Macmillan Inform Out of Hours, and practice team - & update! Ascertain PPOC Review symptoms and drugs Communicate well with patient, family and carers ◦ Explain management of crises, ◦ whom to contact, ◦ use of 999, ◦ possible pathway for illness and symptoms expected when deteriorates, ◦ ethical issues : nutrition, hydration, use of ab, oxygen, ◦ supportive measures available, financial help ◦ (DS1500) Consider Just-in-Case medication Consider DNACPR statement All of the above - Adopt the Liverpool Care Pathway for holistic management of the dying patient Thank you any Q Dr Anant Sachdev 07976 608871 [email protected]