Primary thoracic cancers affect a large number of patients, mainly those with lung cancer and to a lesser extent those with pleural mesothelioma and thymic tumours. Given their frequency and associated comorbidities, in patients whose mean age is high, these diseases are associated with multiple complications. This article, the last of a series dedicated to emergencies in onco-haematological patients, aims to present a clinical picture of the severe complications (side effects, immune -related adverse events) associated with systemic treatments, excluding infections and respiratory emergencies, with which general practitioners and specialists can be confronted. New toxicities are to be expected with the implementation of innovative therapeutic approaches, such as CAR -T cells, along with immunomodulators and antibody -drug conjugates. (c) 2024 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
IntroductionWith the rising use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in oncology, emergency physicians are increasingly confronted with their immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We described the types of irAEs presenting to the ED of a Belgian cancer centre and determined associations with the development of an irAE and other patient’s characteristics. Secondary objectives describe the therapeutic management and determine 7 and 30-day mortality.MethodsA retrospective chart review of ED visits of patients on ICI from 15 December 2016 to 6 December 2020 was performed. Clinical presentation, cancer characteristics and type of ICI were extracted by a single abstractor. We recorded any suspicion of irAE in the ED and confirmation of an irAE was based on the patient’s oncologist report. Outcome was based on mortality at date of last follow-up.Results227 patients on ICI presented to the ED, with a total of 451 visits. 54 (12%) of the visits resulted in a diagnosis of irAE. Four clinical features were associated with an irAE: gastrointestinal complaints (p=0.01), skin rashes (p=0.02), acute renal failure (p=0.002) and abnormal liver function (p=0.04). An irAE was also associated with three different factors: a cancer status in remission (OR=5.33, 95% CI 2.57 to 11.04), a combination of two ICIs (OR=4.43, 95% CI 2.09 to 9.42) and a medical history of irAE (OR=2.44, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.68). 30-day mortality was lower in the irAE group (0%) than in the non-irAE group (13%, 95% CI 9% to 19%).ConclusionsOncological patients under ICI presenting in the ED are more likely to have an irAE if they present with gastrointestinal and dermatological complaints, acute renal failure and abnormal liver function. This is also true for patients with any history of irAE, a concomitant use of two ICIs and with a cancer status in remission.
Les pathologies néoplasiques primitives thoraciques représentent un collectif important de patients, principalement suite aux cancers bronchiques et dans une moindre mesure par les mésothéliomes pleuraux et les maladies thymiques. Ces maladies exposent à de multiples complications de par leur fréquence et les comorbidités associées, chez des patients dont la moyenne d’âge est élevée. Cet article, le dernier d’une série consacrée aux urgences chez les patients d’onco-hématologie s’attarde à tracer le tableau des complications sévères liées aux traitements systémiques, hors infections et urgences respiratoires, auquel les praticiens généralistes et spécialistes peuvent être confrontés en se focalisant sur les effets secondaires des traitements systémiques et les syndromes immunomédiés. De nouvelles toxicités sont attendues avec des approches thérapeutiques innovantes comme les CAR-T cells (et autres immunomodulateurs apparentés) ou les anticorps conjugués.
Key Clinical MessageClinical presentation of leukemia cutis (LC) is polymorphic and can reveal a malignant hemopathy. More commonly described in cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), LC can also occur in case of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).AbstractLeukemia cutis is a rare form of extramedullary feature of malignant hemopathy, seldom associated with CML. Its clinical presentation is pleiotropic and differential diagnosis is broad. It relies on clinical and typical histological and biomolecular concordance. Once confirmed, treatment is based on that of the primary condition. We present a case of a leukemia cutis revealing a relapse of a CML successfully treated by tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
Le cancer bronchique peut s’accompagner de complications qu’il convient de pouvoir identifier en urgence afin de proposer un traitement spécifique. Les données de la littérature sur ce sujet étant particulièrement limitées, nous avons revu les cas de 209 patients atteints de cancer bronchique qui se sont présentés au service des urgences de l’Institut Jules-Bordet en 2007. Les motifs les plus fréquents de consultation étaient les pathologies respiratoires (dyspnée, infections respiratoires, thrombose veineuse profonde et embolie pulmonaire, hémoptysies, syndrome cave supérieur), la douleur, les pathologies digestives (vomissements, dysphagie), les pathologies neurologiques (pathologie nerveuse centrale, compression médullaire) et les pathologies infectieuses (neutropénie fébrile). Les pathologies cardio-vasculaires (tamponnade), les troubles métaboliques (hyponatrémie) et urologiques ne représentant qu’une minorité des cas. A.-P. Meert Urgent complications occurring in lung cancer patients need to be recognised rapidly in order to give an adequate treatment. As literature on this topic is limited, we reviewed the cases of 209 patients with lung cancer who presented at the emergency room of our institution in 2007. The most frequent pathologies were respiratory complications (dyspnoea, bronchial or pulmonary infections, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, haemoptysis, superior vena cava syndrome), pain, gastroenterological pathologies (emesis, dysphagia), neurological diseases (cerebral events, medullar compression) and infections (febrile neutropenia). Cardiovascular complications, metabolic disorders (hyponatremia) and urologic complications were rare.
According to meta-analytic data, the prognosis of a cancer patient post-cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is relatively similar to the general population. However, preselection of patients, the details of CPR, patient-specific characteristics, and post-CPR care are poorly described. The aim of this study is to identify prognostic factors in order to recognize cancer patient profiles more likely to benefit from CPR. This is a retrospective study on a series of patients with solid or hematological malignancies who received CPR between January 2010 and December 2020 in a cancer institute. Sixty-eight patients were included. The ratio of solid to hematological malignancy was 44/24, of which 32 were metastatic solid tumors. Median age was 61 years. Hypoxemia (29
Coagulation disorders increase mortality rate during septic shock, but the impact of concomitant hematological malignancies remains unknown. The study assessed coagulation disorders in onco-hematological patients with thrombocytopenia (<100 G/L) admitted to ICU for septic shock. Among 146 included patients, 50 patients had lymphoma and 49 patients had acute leukemia. ICU mortality rate was 43.8% (n = 64). Median increase in prothrombin time (PT) at day(d) 1 was 4.7 s (IQR 3.2-7.9) in ICU survivors vs. 6.4 s (IQR 4.5-13.7; p < 0.01) in non-survivors. Fibrinogen kinetics (increase in fibrinogen levels between d1 and d2) was +0.55 (-0.22-1.55) vs. +0.10 g/L (-0.40-0.50; p = 0.03) in surviving and non-surviving patients, respectively. PT increase >= 6 s at d1 (OR 5.5; 95% CI 1.1-6.0; p = 0.03) and mechanical ventilation (OR 7.4; 95% CI 3.3-17.7; p < 0.001) were independently associated with ICU mortality. This study provides information and new ways to identify hematological patients with high-risk mortality.
BACKGROUND:Acute respiratory failure (ARF) remains the most frequent reason for ICU admission in patients who are immunocompromised. This study reports etiologies and outcomes of ARF in subjects with solid tumors. METHODS:This study was a post hoc analysis of the EFRAIM study, a prospective multinational cohort study that included 1611 subjects who were immunocompromised and with ARF admitted to the ICU. Subjects with solid tumors admitted to the ICU with ARF were included in the analysis. RESULTS:Among the subjects from the EFRAIM cohort, 529 subjects with solid tumors (32.8%) were included in the analysis. At ICU admission, the median (interquartile range) Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 5 (3-9). The types of solid tumor were mostly lung cancer (n = 111, 21%), breast cancer (n = 52, 9.8%), and digestive cancer (n = 47, 8.9%). A majority, 379 subjects (71.6%) were full code at ICU admission. The ARF was caused by bacterial or viral infection (n = 220, 41.6%), extrapulmonary sepsis (n = 62, 11.7%), or related to cancer or treatment toxicity (n = 83, 15.7%), or fungal infection (n = 23, 4.3%). For 63 subjects (11.9%), the ARF etiology remained unknown after an extensive diagnostic workup. The hospital mortality rate was 45.7% (n = 232/508). Hospital mortality was independently associated with chronic cardiac failure (odds ratio 1.78, 95% CI 1.09-2.92; P = .02), lung cancer (odds ratio 2.50, 95% CI 1.51-4.19; P < .001), day 1 Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (odds ratio 1.97, 95% CI 1.32-2.96; P < .001). ARF etiologies other than infectious, related to cancer, or treatment toxicity were associated with better outcomes (odds ratio 0.32, 95% CI 0.16-0.61; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS:Infectious diseases remained the most frequent cause of ARF in subjects with solid tumors admitted to the ICU. Hospital mortality was related to severity at ICU admission, previous comorbidities, and ARF etiologies related to non-malignant causes or pulmonary embolism. Lung tumor was also independently associated with higher mortality.
To describe the characteristics and the evolution of patients with solid tumours admitted to the ICU and to identify factors associated with hospital mortality and to evaluate three illness severity scores.Descriptive study including 132 patients with solid tumour admitted to the ICU (2010–2016). Demographics and cancer-related data, organ failures, life-supporting therapies and severity scores: APACHE II, SOFA and ICU Cancer Mortality Model (ICMM) were collected.There were 58 patients admitted for medical reasons and 74 for scheduled surgery. The ICU and hospital mortality rate were 12.9% and 19.7%, respectively. The medical reason for admission, the number of organ failures, and the need of life-supporting therapies were significantly associated with a higher mortality (p < 0.05). In the logistic regression analysis, the three severity scores: SOFA (OR 1.18, 95% IC 1.14–1.48), APACHE II (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.09–1.27), and ICMM (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.02–1.07) were independently associated with a higher mortality (p < 0.05). To evaluate the discrimination, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUROC) were calculated: APACHE II (0.795, 95% CI 0.69–0.9), SOFA (0.77, 95% CI 0.69–0.864) and ICMM (0.794, 95% CI 0.697–0.891). The comparison of AUC ROC after DeLong's test showed no difference between them.Hospital mortality was associated with the type and severity of acute illness. The three severity scores were useful to assess outcome and accurate in the discrimination, but we did not find a significant difference between them.Describir las características generales y la evolución de los pacientes con tumores sólidos ingresados en una unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI), identificar los factores asociados a la mortalidad y evaluar el valor pronóstico de 3 escalas de gravedad.Estudio descriptivo de 132 pacientes con diagnóstico de tumour sólido admitidos en la UCI (2010-2016). Se analizaron los datos demográficos relacionados con el tumour, la disfunción orgánica y las terapias de soporte vital, así como las escalas de gravedad APACHE II, SOFA e ICMM.Ingresaron 58 pacientes por causa médica y 74 tras cirugía programada. La tasa de mortalidad en la UCI y hospitalaria fue del 12,9% y 19,7%, respectivamente. La causa médica de ingreso, el número de fallos orgánicos y la necesidad de terapias de soporte vital se asociaron significativamente con mayor mortalidad (p < 0,05). En el análisis por regresión logística las 3 escalas evaluadas: SOFA (OR: 1,18; IC 95%: 1,14-1,48), APACHE II (OR: 1,11; IC 95%: 1,09-1,27) e ICMM (OR: 1,03; IC 95%: 1,02-1,07) se asociaron de forma independiente con una mayor mortalidad (p < 0,05). Para evaluar la discriminación, se calcularon las AUROC: APACHE II (0,795; CI 95%: 0,69-0,9), SOFA (0,77; CI 95%: 0,69-0,864) e ICMM (0,794; CI 95%: 0,697-0,891). La comparación de las mismas por el test DeLong no mostró diferencias entre los sistemas de puntuación.La mortalidad hospitalaria se asoció con el tipo y la gravedad de la enfermedad aguda. Las e escalas de gravedad evaluadas fueron igualmente útiles para evaluar el pronóstico, sin mostrar diferencias entre ellas.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the management of cancer. They can induce immune-related adverse events (irAE) leading to intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We aimed to describe irAEs for ICU admissions in solid cancer patients treated with ICIs. This prospective multicenter study was conducted in France and Belgium. Adult patients with solid tumor and treated with systemic ICIs within the last 6 months, requiring non-programmed ICU admission were included. Patients admitted for microbiologically documented sepsis were excluded. Imputability of irAEs in ICU admissions was described according to the WHO-UMC classification system at ICU admission and at ICU discharge. The use of immunosuppressant treatment was reported. 115 patients were eligible. Solid tumor was mainly lung cancer (n = 76, 66
This European Respiratory Society guideline is dedicated to the provision of good quality recommendations in lung cancer care. All the clinical recommendations contained were based on a comprehensive systematic review and evidence syntheses based on eight PICO (Patients, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes) questions. The evidence was appraised in compliance with the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach. Evidence profiles and the GRADE Evidence to Decision frameworks were used to summarise results and to make the decision-making process transparent. A multidisciplinary Task Force panel of lung cancer experts formulated and consented the clinical recommendations following thorough discussions of the systematic review results. In particular, we have made recommendations relating to the following quality improvement measures deemed applicable to routine lung cancer care: 1) avoidance of delay in the diagnostic and therapeutic period, 2) integration of multidisciplinary teams and multidisciplinary consultations, 3) implementation of and adherence to lung cancer guidelines, 4) benefit of higher institutional/individual volume and advanced specialisation in lung cancer surgery and other procedures, 5) need for pathological confirmation of lesions in patients with pulmonary lesions and suspected lung cancer, and histological subtyping and molecular characterisation for actionable targets or response to treatment of confirmed lung cancers, 6) added value of early integration of palliative care teams or specialists, 7) advantage of integrating specific quality improvement measures, and 8) benefit of using patient decision tools. These recommendations should be reconsidered and updated, as appropriate, as new evidence becomes available.
Lung (bronchial) cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Western countries today. Thoracic surgery represents a major therapeutic strategy and the various advances made in recent years have made it possible to develop less and less invasive techniques. That said, the postoperative period may be lengthy, post-surgical approaches need to be more precisely codified, and it matters that the different interventions involved be supported by sound scientific evidence. To date, however, there exists no evidence that preventive postoperative admission to intensive care is beneficial for patients having undergone lung resection surgery without immediate complications. A stratification of the risk of complications taking into consideration the patient's general state of health (e.g., nutritional status, degree of autonomy, etc.), comorbidities and type of surgery could be a useful predictive tool regarding the need for postoperative intensive care. However, serious post-operative complications remain relatively frequent and post-operative management of these intensive care patients is liable to become complex and long-lasting. In the aftermath of the validation of "enhanced recovery after surgery" (ERAS) in thoracic surgery, new protocols are needed to optimize management of patients having undergone pulmonary resection. This article focuses on the main postoperative complications and more broadly on intensive care patient management following thoracic surgery.
Introduction > Virtual communities related to cancer, as with other chronic pothologies, seem to constitute a population likely to hove a privileged relationship with e-health technologies. However, although many studies hove sought to identify the characteristics of e-health users, none has focused specifically on members of health-related virtual communities. The objective is to identify the psychosocial determinants of the use of connected objects and health applications (COAs) among members of on online community of interest in cancer, the Seintinelles. Methods > Data collection was performed using a self-questionnaire aiming to collect sociodemographic and psychosocial data. Results > Only a minority of participants owned at least one COA. Positive emotions and the perception of COAs as a motivotor to take care of one's health favored their adoption. Considering COASs as aimed toward ill people or perceiving them as complex are barriers to their use. Discussion > Participants do not seem to have a privileged relationship with COAs. Reinforcing o sense of self-efficacy and ensuring that mobile devices and health apps elicit positive emotions in potential users is on essential step in facilitating the use of m-health from a health promotion perspective among individuals who are members of such virtual communities related to cancer.
Optic neuritis with CRMP-5 IgG is a paraneoplastic inflammation of the optic nerve associated with lung cancer, mostly small-cell lung cancer. We present the case of a patient with lung adenocarcinoma who developed progressive bilateral visual loss a few months after immune-chemotherapy with pembrolizumab and after Covid-19 vaccination. Positive CRMP-5 IgG were detected in blood sample and complete work-up - including brain MRI - did not show any progression. High dose systemic corticoids were administered with transient improving, followed by intravenous immunoglobulins, methotrexate and rituximab but despite negativization of CRMP-5 IgG, the patient had a progressive visual loss.
BACKGROUND: The characteristics and outcomes of adult patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection who require ICU admission are poorly defined. Although several studies in adults with RSV infection have been published in recent years, they did not focus specifically on patients with critical illness. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients in the ICU with RSV infection and how do they compare with those of patients in the ICU with influenza infection? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter study in France and Belgium (17 sites) compared the characteristics and outcomes of adult patients in the ICU with RSV infection vs those with influenza infection between November 2011 and April 2018. Each patient with RSV infection was matched by institution and date of diagnosis with a patient with influenza infection. In-hospital mortality was compared between the two groups, with adjustment for prognostic factors in a multivariate model (sex, age, main underlying conditions, and concurrent bloodstream infection). RESULTS: Data from 618 patients (309 with RSV infection and 309 with influenza infection) were analyzed. Patients with RSV infection were significantly more likely to have an underlying chronic respiratory condition (60.2% vs 40.1%; P < .001) and to be immunocompromised (35% vs 26.2%; P = .02) than patients with influenza infection. Several differences in clinical signs and biological data at diagnosis were found between the groups. In-hospital mortality was not significantly different between the two groups (23.9% in the RSV group vs 25.6% in the influenza group; P = .63), even after adjustment for prognostic factors in amultivariate model. INTERPRETATION: Adult patients in the ICU with RSV infection differ from adult patients in the ICU with influenza in terms of comorbidities and characteristics at diagnosis. RSV infection was associated with high in-hospitalmortality, approaching 25%. Inmultivariate analysis, RSV-infection was associated with a similar odds of in-hospital death compared with influenza infection.
Control of transmissible diseases as COVID-19 needs a testing and an isolation strategy. The PARIS score developed by Torjdman et al. was aimed at improving patient selection for testing and quarantining but was derived from a general population. We performed a retrospective analysis of the validity of the PARIS score in a cancer patient population. We included 164 patients counting for 181 visits at the emergency department of the Jules Bordet Institute between March 10th and May 18th which had a SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test at admission. Twenty-six cases (14.3%) were tested positive with a higher proportion of positive tests among hematological patients compared to those with solid tumors (26% vs 11% p = 0.02). No clinical symptoms were associated with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR. No association between anticancer treatment and SARS-CoV-2 infection was found. The PARIS score failed to differentiate SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative groups (AUC 0.61 95% CI 0.48-0.73). The negative predictive value of a low probability PARIS score was 0.89 but this concerned only 11% of the patients. A high probability PARIS score concerned 49% patients but the positive predictive value was 0.18. CT scan had a sensitivity of 0.77, specificity 0.51, a positive predictive value of 0.24, and a negative predictive value of 0.92. The performance of the PARIS score is thus very poor in this cancer population. A low-risk score can be of some utility but this concerns a minority of patients.
Objectives: Early intensive care unit (ICU) admission, in Critically Ill Cancer Patients (CICP), is believed to have contributed to the prognostic improvement of critically ill cancer patients. The primary objective of this study was to assess the association between early ICU admission and hospital mortality in CICP. Design: Retrospective analysis of a prospective multicenter dataset. Early admission was defined as admission in the ICU < 24 h of hospital admission. We assessed the association between early ICU admission and hospital mortality in CICP via survival analysis and propensity score matching. Results: Of the 1011patients in our cohort, 1005 had data available regarding ICU admission timing and were included. Overall, early ICU admission occurred in 455 patients (45.3%). Crude hospital mortality in patients with early and delayed ICU admission was 33.6% (n = 153) vs. 43.1% (n = 237), respectively (P = 0.02). After adjustment for confounders, early compared to late ICU admission was not associated with hospital mortality (HR 0.92; 95%CI 0.76?1.11). After propensity score matching, hospital mortality did not differ between patients with early (35.2%) and late (40.6%) ICU admission (P = 0.13). In the matched cohort, early ICU admission was not associated with mortality after adjustment on SOFA score (HR 0.89; 95%CI 0.71?1.12). Similar results were obtained after adjustment for center effect. Conclusion: In this cohort, early ICU admission was not associated with a better outcome after adjustment for confounder and center effect. The uncertainty with regard to the beneficial effect of early ICU on hospital mortality suggests the need for an interventional study. ? 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Parmi les patients cancéreux, ceux atteints d’un cancer bronchique ont fréquemment recours aux urgences. Environ 40 % des patients atteints de cancer bronchique consulteront aux urgences. Les motifs principaux motivant le patient à se présenter aux urgences sont la fièvre, les plaintes respiratoires, neuropsychiatriques et digestives. L’infection, la progression néoplasique et la douleur sont les 3 principaux diagnostics. Ces complications peuvent être liées au cancer, au traitement antinéoplasique ou non. Ce manuscrit revoit la prise en charge des urgences les plus fréquentes.