• Elizabeth Maccariello, Carla Valente, Lina Nogueira, Helio Bonomo, Marcia Ismael, Jose Eduardo Machado, Fernanda Baldotto, Marise Godinho, Eduardo Rocha, and Marcio Soares.
• NepHro Consultoria em Doencas Renais, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. emaccariello@yahoo.com.br
• Nephrol. Dial. Transplant. 2011 Feb 1;26(2):537-43.

BackgroundStudies on cancer patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) are restricted to specialized intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics and outcomes of cancer and non-cancer patients requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT) for AKI in general ICUs.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted in 14 ICUs from three tertiary care hospitals. A total of 773 (non-cancer 85%; cancer 15%) consecutive patients were included over a 44-month period. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with hospital mortality.ResultsContinuous RRT was used in 79% patients. The main contributing factors for AKI were sepsis (72%) and ischaemia/shock (66%); AKI was multifactorial in 87% of cancer and in 71% non-cancer patients. Hospital mortality rates were higher in cancer (78%) than in non-cancer patients (68%) (P=0.042). However, in multivariate analyses, older age, medical admission, poor chronic health status, comorbidities, ICU days until the RRT start and number of associated organ dysfunctions were associated with hospital mortality. The diagnosis of cancer was not independently associated with mortality [odds ratio=1.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-2.62), P=0.115]. Mortality in cancer patients was mostly dependent on the number of associated organ dysfunctions. Of note, 85% cancer patients recovered renal function at hospital discharge.ConclusionsIn general ICUs, one in six patients requiring RRT has cancer. Despite a relatively higher mortality, the presence of cancer was not independently associated with mortality in the present cohort.

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