Relationship between Patient Characteristics and the Timing of Provision of Explanation about DNAR to Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the patient characteristics and the timing of provision of an explanation about “Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)” by attending physicians to advanced lung cancer patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with advanced or postoperative recurrent lung cancer in whom systemic therapy was initiated between 2015 and 2016. RESULTS: The data of a total of 74 patients with lung cancer, including 59 patients with non-small cell lung cancer and 15 with small cell lung cancer were analyzed. The median overall survival of the patients was 10.0 months. Records of the explanation about DNAR by the physicians were available for 57 of the 74 (77.0%) patients. For 48 (64.9%) patients, the explanation was provided after the discontinuation of anticancer treatment, and for 9 (12.2%) patients, it was provided during the course of anticancer treatment. The provision of an explanation about DNAR during the course of treatment was associated with a poor performance status at the start of treatment (p=0.028), the tumor histology (p=0.037), the presence of driver gene mutation in the tumor (p=0.029), and shorter survival after the discontinuation of anticancer treatment (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the timing of provision of an explanation about DNAR was associated with patient characteristics and the predicted prognosis.