Mortality in Cancer Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in a Resource-limited Setting
Mortality in Cancer Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in a Resource-limited Setting
The purpose of this study is to determine 30 day mortality in cancer patients admitted to the
 intensive care unit in a resource limited setting.
The management of cancer patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has changed dramatically
 during the last two decades. Initial experiences showed high rates of hospital mortality,
 reaching up to 75-85% in patients requiring life-sustaining treatments, particularly
 mechanical ventilation. An increasing number of clinical experiences has been reported
 pointing to a significant improvement in survival of these patients. However, it is not clear
 if this results are generalizable to settings with resource constraints. Therefore, the
 purpose of this study is to determine 30 day mortality in cancer patients admitted to the
 intensive care unit in a resource limited setting.

 This study is a prospective cohort of cancer patients admitted to the ICU in which the
 investigators will evaluate the prognostic of cancer patients admitted for a ICU trial or
 treatment in ICU without limitations. This study will not consider any change in the
 treatment plan of the patients. The source of the data will be the clinical records of the
 patients during the admission and the records of the cancer unit. There will be no direct
 contact of the research team with the patients or their family.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  18 years-old or older

 -  Histological diagnosis or high clinical suspicious of cancer (solid /hematological),
 with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer.

 -  Functional classification state between 0-3, according to Eastern Cooperative Oncology
 Group.

 -  Admission to intensive care unit, because of one or more of the following criteria:

 1. Invasive or non-invasive ventilatory support due to acute respiratory failure.

 2. Use of vasopressor drugs due to hypotension defined as noradrenaline requirement
 higher than 0.1 microgram/Kg/min.

 3. Renal replacement therapy due to acute renal failure.

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Absence of cancer recurrences in more than 5 years after diagnosis

 -  Functional classification state of 4, according to Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group.