Background: Advances in oncological care have led to improved short- and long-term prognosis of cancer patients but admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) remains controversial.
Aim: The objective was to assess the outcome of patients with haematological malignancies and solid tumours admitted to the ICU as emergencies, and to identify risk factors for mortality.
Design and methods: Retrospective and prospective analysis of 185 cancer patients admitted to the ICU at Guy's Hospital (259 admissions), a large tertiary referral oncology centre between February 2004 and July 2008.
Results: One hundred and fifteen patients had haematological malignancies of whom 30.4% died in ICU. Seventy patients had solid tumours. ICU mortality was 27.1%. Fifty-four patients had >1 admission to ICU. ICU survivors had significantly lower acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II scores and less failed organ systems on admission to ICU and less organ failure during stay in the ICU. Neutropenia, sepsis and re-admission were not associated with an increased mortality. Six-month mortality rates for patients with haematological malignancies and solid tumours were 73 and 78.6%, respectively.
Conclusion: Short-term outcome of critically ill cancer patients in ICU is better than previously reported. The decision to admit cancer patients to ICU should depend on the severity of the acute illness rather than factors related to the malignancy. In appropriate patients, invasive organ support and re-admission should not be withheld.