title: The prognosis of patients with lung cancer admitted to the medical intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Despite their poor prognosis, patients with lung cancer are increasingly being admitted to the medical intensive care unit (MICU) for treatment of critical illnesses. The aim of this study was to assess the outcome of patients with lung cancer who are admitted to an MICU and to identify the measurable predictors of their MICU outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted retrospective analysis on 97 patients with lung cancer admitted to the MICU between 2007 and 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age ± standard deviation was 71.8 ± 6.8 years. Of the 97 patients (82 male), 73 patients (75%) had non-small cell lung cancer stage IIIB, IV and 24 patients (25%) had small cell lung cancer. The intensive care unit mortality and in-hospital mortality rates were 53.6 and 61.8%. The main reasons for MICU admission were pneumonia (n = 51) and complication of cancer management (n = 45). The predictors of poor MICU outcome were history of diabetes mellitus (P = 0.028), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (P = 0.018), need for mechanical ventilation (P = 0.014), use of vasoactive agents (P < 0.0001), the presence of acute renal failure (P < 0.0001) and presence of multiorgan failure (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that in-hospital mortality was not influenced by age, sex or performance status score of patients with lung cancer but increased with the severity of organ failure at MICU admission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.|Department of Medicine, Graduate School, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ki-Eun
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Hwan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Seol
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Yu-Ri
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hoon-Gil
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Jo
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwon-Ha
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Sim
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Taik
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hak-Ryul
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: lung cancer; medical intensive care unit; prognosis