Aggressive end-of-life care among over half a million patients with cancer in Shandong, China, 2017-2022.

From 2017 to 2022, the proportion of end of life intensive care unit admissions increased from 0.9% to 2.8%, aggressive chemotherapy use rose from 4.1% to 4.8%, and multiple hospitalisations increased from 16.2% to 18.3%.

Male sex, younger age, stable income, social health insurance with higher reimbursement rates, and comorbidities were factors significantly associated with a higher risk.