title: Intensive care admission of cancer patients: a comparative analysis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to obtain insight into which proportion of cancer patients is admitted to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and how their survival, demographic, and clinical characteristics relate to cancer patients not admitted to the ICU. Data from patients registered with cancer between 2006 and 2011 in four hospitals in the Netherlands were linked to the Dutch National Intensive Care Evaluation registry. About 36,860 patients with cancer were identified, of whom 2,374 (6.4%) were admitted to the ICU. Fifty-six percent of ICU admissions were after surgery, whereas 44% were for medical reasons. The risk for ICU admission was highest among cancer patients treated with surgery either alone or combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Only 80 of 1,073 medical ICU admissions (3.3%) were for cancer-specific reasons. Although more women (54.0%) than men were registered with cancer, the proportion of male cancer patients admitted to an ICU was much higher (9.3 vs. 4.0%, P < 0.001). Five-year survival of cancer patients admitted to the ICU was substantial (41%) although median survival was much lower (1,104 days) than in patients not admitted to the ICU (median survival time not reached, P < 0.001). These results show that one out of 16 cancer patients was admitted to an ICU and that ICU support for this group should not be considered futile.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Monique M E M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bos
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ilona W M
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Verburg
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Reinier de Graaf Hospital, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ineke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dumaij
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Dutch Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stouthard
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes W R
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Nortier
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eric P A
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: van der Zwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicolette F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: de Keizer
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Evert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Jonge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010343:Patient Admission; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Age differences; cancer; gender differences; intensive care; survival