Background: The use of inpatient palliative care (IPC) in advanced cancer patients represents a well-established guideline recommendation. This study examines the utilization rates and patterns of IPC among patients with metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma (mACC).
Methods: Relying on the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2007-2019), we tabulated IPC rates in mACC patients. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) analyses as well as multivariable logistic regression models (MLRM) predicting IPC use were fitted.
Results: Of 2040 mACC patients, 238 (12%) received IPC. Overall, the rate of IPC increased from 3.7% to 19.1% between 2007 and 2019 (EAPC +9.6%, P=0.001). During the same period, in-hospital mortality remained unchanged from 12.1 to 13.8% (EAPC 0.1%; P=0.97). Younger age at admission (<60 years; MLRM OR=0.70, P=0.013), solitary metastatic site (OR=0.63; P=0.015), and non-brain metastases (OR=0.62; P=0.033) were all associated with lower IPC use.
Conclusions: In mACC patients, IPC use has increased from a marginal 3.7% to a moderate annual value of 19.1% in the most recent study year. These rates were not driven by a concomitant increase in in-hospital mortality (12.1% to 13.8%; P=0.9). and may be interpreted as an improvement in quality of care. Despite this encouraging increase, some patient characteristics herald lower IPC use. In consequence, younger patients, those with solitary metastatic sites, and non-brain metastases should be carefully considered for IPC to decrease or completely reduce the IPC access barrier maximally.