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Palliative Medicine, Vol. 19, No. 8, 578-586 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216305pm1069oa

Differences between terminally ill cancer patients who died after euthanasia had been performed and terminally ill cancer patients who did not request euthanasia

Jean-Jacques Georges

Department of Public and Occupational Health, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, j.georges{at}vumc.nl

Bregje D Onwuteaka-Philipsen

Department of Public and Occupational Health, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam

Gerrit van der Wal

Department of Public and Occupational Health, Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam

Agnes van der Heide

Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam

Paul J van der Maas

Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam

Palliative care, directed at improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients, is generally not aimed at any form of postponing or hastening death. It is possible that high quality palliative care could prevent requests for euthanasia. However, empirical evidence on this issue is scarce. In a national survey of end-of-life medical decisions in The Netherlands the subject of care at the end of life has been addressed. Data on terminally ill cancer patients who died after their request was granted and euthanasia had been performed were compared with those of terminally ill cancer patients who did not request euthanasia. The results show that the prevalence and severity of symptoms e.g., pain, feeling unwell, nausea, was higher in patients who died after their request was granted and euthanasia had been performed. No differences concerning the treatment of symptoms or the care provided were found between the two groups. The results suggest that the practice of euthanasia is mainly related to the patient’s suffering.

Key Words: cancer • empirical evidence • euthanasia • palliative care • suffering • terminal illness


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