Clair Surr and Laura Ashley's (2024) narrative review study on end-of-life (EOL) care for individuals with dementia and comorbid cancer underlines the complexity of providing effective EOL care to this demographic and identifies significant research gaps. In their paper, the authors examine key findings from recent studies. Some of these findings include the notable lack of research focused on EOL care for people with dementia and comorbid cancer as well as the limitations of the available research, which is mainly based on American or Asian retrospective examination of routine datasets. O
ther findings suggest that individuals with both cancer and dementia are at risk of worse EOL care outcomes than people with cancer without dementia. An example of these possible worse EOL care outcomes is poor pain management. This group, along with their families, face more complex EOL care needs and may experience high levels of unmet needs for practical and psychosocial support. Those diagnosed with dementia, at or after their cancer diagnosis, are at a higher risk of receiving aggressive EOL care that fails to meet their evolving needs, including their dementia-related needs.
The authors conclude that there is a need for studies collecting primary data (using prospective and longitudinal designs and employing mixed methodologies) and emphasise the importance of understanding what constitutes good care for individuals with dementia and comorbid cancer and how it can be effectively delivered by specialist palliative and EOL care teams. Please follow the link to read the paper by Clair Surr and Laura Ashley:
