Raised serum urea predicts for early death in small cell lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies have defined prognostic factors predicting a favourable response to treatment and long-term survival in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. Here we sought specific pre-treatment features predicting early death in SCLC.


METHODS
An exploratory cohort of 62 patients with poor prognosis SCLC and a separate confirmatory independent cohort of 152 unselected SCLC patients were identified to determine risk factors for early death, defined as within 8 weeks of diagnosis.


RESULTS
In an exploratory cohort of patients with poor prognosis SCLC, 46 received chemotherapy and 16 patients received no chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis of chemotherapy patients showed a raised serum urea to be predictive of early death - increasing the risk by 13-fold (odds ratio 13.3, 95% confidence interval=2.8-64). In a separate cohort of 152 unselected SCLC patients, 123 received chemotherapy and 29 did not. Logistic regression analysis of treated patients showed that performance status >2 (P=0.009), urea>upper limit of normal (P=0.01), neutrophil count >10 (P=0.024) and weight loss >10% (P=0.03) significantly contributed to the risk of early death. Of note, raised serum urea increased the risk of early death by 12-fold (odds ratio 11.8, 95% confidence interval=1.8-76.9).


CONCLUSIONS
We have shown that pre-treatment raised serum urea is a significant predictor of early death. This readily available information will be useful for assessing SCLC patients at the bedside and discussing the risks of chemotherapy with them.
Winter
M C
MC
Academic Unit of Clinical Oncology, University of Sheffield, Weston Park Hospital, Sheffield, UK.
Potter
V A
VA
Woll
P J
PJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014508:Urea / Q000097:blood*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D014508:Urea