The Last 10 Days of Patients With Glioblastoma Assessment of Clinical Signs and Symptoms as well as Treatment

Background:High-grade gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumors. Despite improvement in diagnostics and treatment, survival is still poor and quality-of-life issues are of major importance. Little is known regarding the clinical signs and symptoms of dying patients with glioblastoma.Objective:The aim of this study was to investigate signs and symptoms as well as therapeutic strategies in patients with glioblastoma in the end-of-life phase in order to improve end-of-life care.Methods:In this prospective single-center study, clinical data were obtained using a standardized protocol. We descriptively analyzed signs, symptoms, and therapeutic strategies on a daily basis.Results:A total of 57 patients, who died due to glioblastoma in a hospital setting, were included. The most frequent signs and symptoms in the last 10 days before death were decrease in level of consciousness (95%), fever (88%), dysphagia (65%), seizures (65%), and headache (33%). Concerning medication, 95% received opioids. There was...