title: Outcomes of cancer and non-cancer patients with acute kidney injury and need of renal replacement therapy admitted to general intensive care units.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies on cancer patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) are restricted to specialized intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics and outcomes of cancer and non-cancer patients requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) for AKI in general ICUs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study was conducted in 14 ICUs from three tertiary care hospitals. A total of 773 (non-cancer 85%; cancer 15%) consecutive patients were included over a 44-month period. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Continuous RRT was used in 79% patients. The main contributing factors for AKI were sepsis (72%) and ischaemia/shock (66%); AKI was multifactorial in 87% of cancer and in 71% non-cancer patients. Hospital mortality rates were higher in cancer (78%) than in non-cancer patients (68%) (P=0.042). However, in multivariate analyses, older age, medical admission, poor chronic health status, comorbidities, ICU days until the RRT start and number of associated organ dysfunctions were associated with hospital mortality. The diagnosis of cancer was not independently associated with mortality [odds ratio=1.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-2.62), P=0.115]. Mortality in cancer patients was mostly dependent on the number of associated organ dysfunctions. Of note, 85% cancer patients recovered renal function at hospital discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In general ICUs, one in six patients requiring RRT has cancer. Despite a relatively higher mortality, the presence of cancer was not independently associated with mortality in the present cohort.
authors.affiliation: NepHro Consultoria em Doencas Renais, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. emaccariello@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maccariello
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Helio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bonomo
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ismael
authors.forename: Jose Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldotto
authors.forename: Marise
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Godinho
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Marcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome