Outcomes for cancer patients in critical care

SummaryThe pre-eminent view amongst intensivists when presented with an acutely ill patient with cancer needing admission to the ICU has long been “What is the point?” Work published in the 1980s and 90s suggested dismal survival rates, particularly for neutropaenic haematology patients. However, more recent work has shown that it is progression of disease and its contribution to acute physiological derangement that matters, not the diagnosis alone. Once admitted, again it is the severity of acute disturbance and progression of organ failure that influences the outcome. This article reviews the evidence for specific risk factors and prediction tools for oncology patients in intensive care and suggests ways forward for the future.