Published online Aug 4, 2015. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v4.i3.159
Peer-review started: March 25, 2015
First decision: June 3, 2015
Revised: June 12, 2015
Accepted: July 16, 2015
Article in press: July 17, 2015
Published online: August 4, 2015
Processing time: 147 Days and 7.7 Hours
The introduction of new treatments for cancer and advances in the intensive care of critically ill cancer patients has improved the prognosis and survival. In recent years, the classical intensive care unit (ICU) admission comorbidity criteria used for this group of patients have been discouraged since the risk factors for death that have been studied, mainly the number and severity of organic failures, allow us to understand the determinants of the prognosis inside the ICU. However, the availability of intensive care resources is dissimilar by country, and these differences are known to alter the indications for admission to critical care setting. Three to five days of ICU management is warranted before making a final decision (ICU trial) to consider keep down intensive management of critically ill cancer patients. Nowadays, taking into account only the diagnosis of cancer to consider ICU admission of patients who need full-supporting management is no longer justified.
Core tip: The number and severity of organ failures are still the most important determinants for in-hospital mortality of critically ill cancer patients. Thus, an early intensive care unit admission is crucial to impact in the short-term prognosis of this population.