Early supportive medication use and end-of-life care among Medicare beneficiaries with advanced breast cancer

A randomized controlled trial of cancer patients has linked early supportive care with improved hospice use and less aggressive end-of-life care. In practice, the early use of supportive interventions and potential impact on end-of-life care are poorly understood. We sought to describe early use of medications to treat common breast cancer symptoms (pain, insomnia, anxiety, and depression) and to assess the relationship between early use of these treatments and end-of-life care