Characteristics and outcomes of patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy in the intensive care unit

Purpose The objective of this study was to evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of adult patients with solid tumors receiving chemotherapy in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods This was a retrospective single-center study comparing the outcomes of patients with solid tumors who received chemotherapy in the ICU with a matched cohort of ICU patients (by age, sex, and tumor type) who did not receive chemotherapy. Conditional logistic regression and shared frailty Cox regression were used to assess short-term (ICU and hospital) mortality and death by 12-month post-hospital discharge, respectively. Results Seventy-three patients with solid tumors who received chemotherapy in the ICU were successfully matched. The most common solid tumors included thoracic (30%), genitourinary (26%), and breast (16%). The ICU, hospital, and 12-month (post discharge) mortality rates of patients who recieved chomtherapy in the ICU were 23%, 36%, and 43%, respectively. When compared to the matched cohort of patients who did not receive chemotherapy, patients who received chemotherapy had a significantly longer length of stay in the ICU (median 7 vs. 4 days, p