title: Respiratory failure in cancer patients.
abstract: A review of 180 cancer patients requiring mechanical ventilation disclosed that 26% survived to extubation, and 13% and 7% were alive at two and six months, respectively. Mortality was related to several factors individually and the cumulative number of organ systems dysfunctioning in a given patient. Compared with general intensive care patients, those with respiratory failure and neoplastic disease demonstrated a high incidence of drug-induced pulmonary disease, hematologic abnormalities, pneumothorax, and infections with multiple and unusual organisms--all of which alter the approach to management. Although the long-term survival was poor, immediate survival was comparable with that of many groups of patients with respiratory failure.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000150:complications; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000150:complications; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000150:complications; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy