Palliative care for patients with glioma: A recent scientometric analysis of the Web of Science in 2022

Abstract

BackgroundPatients with glioma present with complex palliative care needs throughout their disease trajectory. A scientometric analysis is effective and widely used to summarize the most influential studies within a certain field. We present the first scientometric analysis of palliative care for patients with glioma.MethodsBased on a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) principle, we conducted a generalized search for articles on palliative care for glioma in the Web of Science database and evaluated the top 100 most frequently cited articles among 2,542 articles.ResultsThe number of citations for the top 100 cited articles on palliative care for glioma ranged from 10 to 223. We have a narrative conclusion, as follows: most of these articles were published in oncology-specific journals (n = 53) and palliative-specific journals (n = 22). The United States, Australia, and the Netherlands were the top three countries contributing most of the articles (n = 59). Most of the research methods were quantitative analyses, qualitative analyses, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses (n = 70). In quantitative studies, 66 scales were used, and the top three scales used included the following: the Distress Thermometer, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain Index (FACT-Br), and Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). The articles were classified into six major categories based on research subjects, including patients (n = 44), caregivers (n = 16), patients and caregivers (n = 20), literature (n = 19), and healthcare providers (n = 1). Articles were classified into seven major categories based on research themes: quality of life (n = 11); end-of-life symptoms and care (n = 16); palliative and supportive care needs (n = 35); advance care planning and decision making (n = 4); psychological, social, and spiritual needs (n = 12); hospice utilization and referral (n = 3); and others (n = 19). The studies of the primary topic are correlated with the number of citations.ConclusionsThe results of the analysis indicated that patients diagnosed with glioma present a high variety of palliative care needs, including physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. The caregiver’s burden and needs are important as well. The proportion of quantitative analyses, qualitative analyses, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses is relatively high, but the number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was low. End-of-life care and supportive care needs appeared frequently. Thus, palliative care is an urgent need to be addressed in glioma management. The appropriate scales should be selected for patients with glioma and meet their palliative needs.

A Review on the Application of Hospice Care in Patients with Advanced Cancer

“…[68][69][70] Patients with advanced brain malignancies therefore have an increasing need for end-of-life care. Xiao et al 71 found through systematic analysis that there are multiple needs for end-of-life care for patients with advanced glioma, including physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs, and glioma patients should meet their personalized treatment needs, improve the quality of life of patients at the end of their lives, and reduce the family burden of patients. Koekkoek et al 69 reported that hospice care can reduce the pain of patients in the later stage of high-grade glioma patients, while improving the quality of life of patients in the later stage of life, and reducing the family burden of patients and their families.…”

Integrating Physiotherapy for Enhancing Functional Recovery in Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Case Report

“…Glioma patients have a wide range of palliative care requirements, including requirements for physical, psychological, social, and spiritual support. Rehabilitation plays a very crucial role in the prevention of postoperative complications after any neurosurgery, like deep vein thrombosis and pressure sores due to prolonged bed rest, reduces the length of hospital stay, decreases time on ventilation, improves muscle strength, and increases independence in activities of daily living to improve functional capacity and quality of life [ 12 , 13 ].…”