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Cancer patients may commit suicide at any stage of the disease and many risk factors of suicide have been described in the literature. To identify the possible vulnerability factors of suicide in five terminal cancer patients who committed suicide while they were cared for at home by well-trained palliative care teams, a psychological autopsy study was carried out by reviewing their medical records; their report of symptoms at the time of care; and with the caregivers', doctors', and nurses' recollection of events by means of a structured interview prepared ad hoc. We collected data regarding the physical, emotional, and social suffering of the patients, their personality profile, and their feelings with respect to the illness and disability. The interviews lasted for a mean of two hours and were performed from 2-8 years after the suicide events by the social worker at the Rehabilitation and Palliative Care Division. The interviews took place between June 1996 and January 1998. All the patients showed great concern about the lack of autonomy and independence, refused dependence on others and had fear/worry of losing their autonomy. Four patients presented functional and physical impairments, uncontrolled pain, awareness of being in the terminal stage, and mild to moderate depression. They had a feeling of hopelessness consequent to their clinical conditions, fear of suffering, and feeling of being a burden on others. They had a strong character and managerial professions. They had isolated themselves from others and they had previously talked about suicide. Before committing suicide, three patients had adverse physical/emotional consequences to the oncological treatments-they showed aggressiveness towards their family and one towards the home care physician. Multiple vulnerability factors were present simultaneously in all patients. However, the loss of, and the fear of losing, autonomy and their independence and of being a burden on others were the most relevant. The identification of a cancer patient at risk of committing suicide forms the first step for the prevention of and the setting up of adequate psychosocial rehabilitation of these patients whenever possible.

This study describes the characteristics of a representative sample of terminally ill cancer patients at admission to Italian palliative care programs, the rate and reasons for discontinuation of care, and survival after enrollment. All Italian palliative care units (PCUs) specifically committed to palliative care were asked to consecutively register all new patients (n = 3901) between January and June, 1995. Fifty-eight of the 62 PCUs contacted by the Steering Committee completed the study. A random sample of 589 evaluable patients was prospectively selected from the 2667 eligible patients. Patients were mostly referred by a general practitioner (31.2%) or a specialist (42.1%). Most patients (84.7%) were followed until death. Seventy-seven discontinued care because of hospital admission (6.6%), change of residence (3.9%), refusal (1.7%), or improvement (0.8%). Median survival was 37.9 days; 14.3% of the patients died within 7 days, and 15.3% lived longer than 180 days. A statistically significant association between survival and gender, cancer type, setting of the first visit, and type of unit was observed. In Italy, as in other countries with different health systems, referral of cancer patients to palliative care tends to occur late in the course of the disease. This study suggests that the process of enrollment and the duration of patients' survival in palliative care, when studied in large unselected populations, can provide important information relevant to the care of terminally ill patients.

A multicenter study involving six palliative care units in Italy was carried out on 159 terminal cancer patients seen at home or in hospital. The physician or the nurse completed independently from the patient the Therapy Impact Questionnaire (TIQ), a questionnaire devised for quality-of-life evaluation in terminal cancer patients. The patient's assessment was used as the valid reference measurement to compare with the health-care workers' evaluation to assess the validity of the latter. The results showed that percentages of agreement were higher for physical than for psychological and cognitive symptoms, and that there was a greater agreement on the absence rather than on the presence of a problem. None of the characteristics of the patient nor of the proxy showed any statistically significant relationship with the two disagreement indexes. The results suggest that caution is needed in the use of health-care workers as alternative sources of information regarding patients' quality of life.

Volunteers' education, together with selection and organization, are fundamental for an adequate volunteer service in oncology, which is focused on patient and family needs and is fully integrated with the activity of the care team. To achieve such an aim, well-defined requirements and educational objectives are essential. A curriculum for voluntary service in oncology was developed through a consensus of experts. By comparing the work carried out by six different teams, a questionnaire was drafted, which grouped 91 educational aims. For each, the questionnaire queried whether the aim was relevant or not, and, if yes, whether it should be pursued through (a) knowledge, (b) skill, and/or (c) attitude (with a possible multiple answer). To improve comprehension, the questionnaire was divided into five sections: (a) the association; (b) the disease, therapies, and care site; (c) voluntary service in oncology; (d) psychosocial aspects of the patient and family; and (e) approach, communication, and acceptance. The questionnaire was sent to 117 delegates from 93 Italian volunteer organizations who, during a period of 8 years, had attended a course for volunteers trainers held by the Italian League Against Cancer. As indicated in the letter forwarded with the questionnaire, the final document would report only the aims considered relevant by at least 70% of the participants. Moreover, the area(s) of pursuit (knowledge, skill, and attitude) would be stated for each goal when indicated by at least one-half of the participants. Of 117 individuals questioned; 83 (71%) replied. Of the 91 aims proposed, 60 were considered relevant, and a type of approach (knowledge, skill, and/or attitude) was suggested. The formative curriculum of voluntary service in oncology represents a consensual guideline for future training programs.

The capability to make decisions about one's own dying and death is commonly considered a necessary component of a good death, but difficulties in communicating about imminent death have been documented. This paper attempts to describe the process of constructing an instrument to elicit individual preferences concerning dying, while respecting the patient's awareness, and to verify its applicability in a palliative care setting. The development of the End-of-Life Preferences Interview (ELPI) was performed through (a) a literature search aimed at identifying relevant issues; (b) examination by a panel of experts in the field of palliative care of the items generated; and (c) pretesting of feasibility on all eligible consecutive patients referred to three centers of palliative care during a two-month period. The final version of the ELPI consisted of two parts: The first level explores preferences about issues regarding the caregiving process, and the second level focuses on preparation for death. Each of the two parts is introduced by key questions aimed at allowing the patient to decide whether and when to stop exploring such sensitive matters. Among the 49 eligible patients (41%), the interview was proposed to only 13 of them (27%), and only one of them refused. The reasons for such a low compliance of physicians in proposing the ELPI were evaluated by a semi-structured interview and are herein discussed. The use of the ELPI in clinical practice can favor the passage to a greater consideration of the self-determination of the patient at the end of life, with due consideration of his or her cultural and emotional needs.

A multicenter cross-sectional study of 115 terminal cancer patients in eight home-care units assessed the prognostic value of quality of life scores, as measured by the Therapy Impact Questionnaire (TIQ). The analysis of the questionnaires completed by 100 patients revealed an association between survival and many of the scales: fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, global health status, functional impairment, emotional status, and cognitive status. This association was also observed for some specific physical symptoms, such as confusion, weakness, and loss of appetite, and the overall number of symptoms reported by the patient. Adjusting for some possible confounding factors, only confusion (among the physical symptoms), cognitive status, and global health status (among TIQ primary scales) showed independent prognostic value. As regards the latter two scales, median survival time was distributed differently for patients with no impairment of either (137 days), with impairment of one scale (50 days) and with impairment of both scales (17 days). The judgment expressed by the patient about subjective perception of general malaise and cognitive difficulties can give the clinician important prognostic information.