Palliative care in children with cancer. Experience of a hospital in the center of Mexico

Abstract

Background/Objectives: To report the experience in palliative care given to our paediatric patients with cancer. Design/Methods: We included in a cohort, patients of Pediatric Oncology of the HMI service that its palliative care. We evaluate clinical and demographic variables, diagnosis, reason for admission to palliative care, care provided specific: chemotherapy, radiotherapy and unspecific as analgesia, pain management, time of duration of such care, palliative care home and hospital, as well as the death and site of the same. Results: In the study period (2005 january-2015 december) 65/591 patients with childhood cancer (11%) its palliative care, 58% male and 55% corresponded to acute leukaemia relapse 3rd, prevalence in preschool children, 80% lived in urban areas, chemotherapy was the care palliative specific more used (46%) and pain the nonspecific (95%) with duration of 3 months, the most frequent death cause was bleeding and 55% died at his home. Conclusion: In Mexico the law from 2012 indicates the right to palliative care giving and dignity to the process of dying, the Hospital Materno Infantil ISSEMYM is a reference Center for children with cancer in our Institute of Social Security. In Mexico there are few reports related to palliative care. The multidisciplinary treatment of cancer in our center includes palliative measures specific and unspecific, the proportion of patients who die hospitalization still is very high, and so it should have an impact in the implementation of the home care that requires a specific unit of paediatric palliative care.