HYPOTHESIS: Surgical intervention in palliative care is common; however, the indications, risks, and outcomes are not well described. DESIGN: Retrospective review of surgical cases during a 1-year period with a minimum 1-year survival update. SETTING: A National @entity5 Institute-designated comprehensive @entity5 center. @entity1 : @entity1 with a @entity5 diagnosis undergoing operative procedures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of palliative surgeries and analysis of length of stay, morbidity, and mortality. RESULTS: Palliative surgeries comprised 240 (12.5%) of 1915 surgical procedures. There were 170 major and 70 minor procedures. Neurosurgical (46.0%), orthopedic (31.3%), and thoracic (21.5%) surgical procedures were frequently palliative. The most common primary diagnoses were lung, @entity0 . Length of hospital stay was 12.4 days (range, 0-99 days), with 21.3% of procedures performed on an outpatient basis. The 30-day mortality was 12.2%, with 5 @entity1 dying within 5 days of their procedure. The overall mortality was 23.3% (56/240). Mortality for surgical procedures classified as major was 21.9% (44/170) and 10.0% (7/70) for those classified as minor (Fisher exact test, P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: Significant numbers of palliative procedures are performed at our @entity5 center. Overall morbidity and mortality were high; however, a significant number of @entity1 had short hospital stays and low morbidity. Palliative surgery should remain an important part of end-of-life care. @entity1 and their families must be aware of the high risks and understand the clear objectives of these procedures.

Surgical palliation at a XXXX center: incidence and outcomes.

@entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['cancer', 'Cancer'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity0 :: ('MESH:D001943', 'Disease') :: ['colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers']
@entity5 :: (MESH:D009369,Disease) :: ['cancer']
