Table 4.
Patients receiving supportive care measures by phase of treatment
| Before metastatic diagnosis in patients presenting with earlier stage disease (n = 105) (47.7%) | After metastatic diagnosis and before discontinuation of systemic therapy (N = 220) (100%) | After discontinuation of systemic therapy (n = 164) (74.5%)a | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number (%) of patients | |||
| Audiology | 27 (25.7) | 3 (1.4) | 1 (0.6) |
| Dental care for radiotherapy effects | 65 (61.9) | 49 (22.3) | 16 (9.8) |
| Depression assessment and management | 13 (12.4) | 23 (10.5) | 15 (9.1) |
| Nutritional support | 77 (73.3) | 129 (58.6) | 81 (49.4) |
| Pain and symptom management | 63 (60.0) | 117 (53.2) | 95 (57.9) |
| Support for smoking and alcohol cessation | 50 (47.6) | 16 (7.3) | 5 (3.0) |
| Speech and swallowing therapy | 47 (44.8) | 49 (22.3) | 15 (9.2) |
| Tracheotomy care | 10 (9.5) | 3 (1.4) | 1 (0.6) |
| Wound management | 18 (17.1) | 8 (3.6) | 3 (1.8) |
| Xerostomia management | 28 (26.7) | 53 (24.1) | 23 (14.0) |
| Antiemetics | NC | 131 (59.6) | 65 (39.6) |
| Management of oral and gastrointestinal mucositis | NC | 65 (29.6) | 27 (16.5) |
| Haematological growth factor/transfusions | NC | 49 (22.3) | 19 (11.6) |
| Any supportive care | 96 (91.4) | 186 (84.5) | 146 (89.0) |
| None | 1 (1.0) | 6 (2.7) | 5 (3.0) |
| Not reported | 8 (7.6) | 28 (12.7) | 13 (7.9) |
NC: not collected.
Patients could have received multiple types of supportive care.
a
56 patients were still receiving systemic therapy at the time of data collection.