Identifying when the end of life phase has begun in acute leukaemia can be extremely difficult. The patient’s disease status can change very suddenly and they can decline swiftly.
Signs that indicate a need for end of life care
- Uncontrolled high or unresponsive low WBC count
- Failure to achieve remission
- Worsening performance status
- Increasingly frequent need for transfusions
- Infections (viral, fungal, bacterial) that do not respond to appropriate treatment
