Why the study?
Older patients with advanced cancer often continue antithrombotic therapy at the end of life despite limited benefit and bleeding risk, but evidence regarding structured deprescribing in real-world hospice populations remains limited.
What are the predictors of antithrombotic deprescribing in older patients with advanced cancer and limited life expectancy in hospice care?
Population
112 patients aged ≥65 years with advanced cancer and life expectancy ≤six months admitted to an inpatient hospice unit
Comparison
Predictors of antithrombotic deprescribing following a palliative care consultation medication review intervention
Design
Retrospective cohort study
Key result
Being prescribed two or more antithrombotic agents was the only significant predictor of non-deprescribing (OR 0.198) among older advanced cancer patients in hospice care.
Authors
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Additional strategies may be needed for antithrombotic deprescribing in hospice patients on multiple agents; this cohort study generates hypotheses but should not yet change practice.
What are the predictors of antithrombotic deprescribing in older patients with advanced cancer and limited life expectancy in hospice care?
In older hospice patients with advanced cancer, medication complexity—specifically the use of multiple antithrombotic agents—significantly hinders deprescribing decisions.
Alwidyan et al. (2026) studied this question. Being prescribed two or more antithrombotic agents was the only significant predictor of non-deprescribing (OR 0.198) among older advanced cancer patients in hospice care.