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Severe Sepsis Causes Almost 10% Of Cancer Deaths
July 01, 2004Severe sepsis, is a costly complication in hospitalized cancer patients causing around one in ten cancer deaths each year in the USA, according to an article published today in Critical Care. The excessive response to infection in patients with severe sepsis injures critical organs such as the lungs and kidneys.
Dr Mark Williams and his colleagues from Eli Lilly & Co. in Indianapolis, and Health Process Management, LLC, Pennsylvania used data from six US states to analyze all the hospitalizations in 1999 and estimate the incidence of severe sepsis in cancer patients across the US, and the mortality rate of patients suffering from both conditions.
Almost 5% of the cancer patients that were hospitalized in the six states were found to have severe sepsis. When extrapolated to the rest of the USA, this corresponds to around 126,000 cases every year.
The data also showed that hospitalized patients with cancer and severe sepsis were more than five times as likely to die than cancer patients not suffering from severe sepsis. 37.8% of patients with cancer and severe sepsis died in hospital in comparison to 7.2% of patients with cancer but no severe sepsis. This corresponds to the death of around 46,700 patients every year.
"Our study demonstrates the devastating complication of severe infections in cancer patients. Improvement in infection control, such as early appropriate antibiotics, in this population could have a significant impact on overall cancer survival," said Williams.
Cancer treatments and the presence of tumors can cause patients with cancer to become immunosuppressed. This hinders their ability to fight off infection, and makes them more at risk of severe sepsis than the general population.
In general, cancer patients were nearly four times as likely to be hospitalized with severe sepsis than people without cancer. Patients suffering from lymphoma, leukemia or other blood cancers were even more susceptible to severe sepsis than those suffering from cancer of a solid organ.
Patients with a blood cancer were 15 times more likely than the average person to suffer from severe sepsis. This higher rate corresponds to the fact that these patients are likely to be more severely immunocompromised than patients with other forms of cancer.
"We found that severe sepsis is a common, deadly, and costly complication in cancer patients," write the authors. "This complication was associated with nearly a three-fold increase in the time spent in hospital. We estimate that the annual hospital costs for these patients exceed US$3 billion annually"
BioMed Central Limited
The data also showed that hospitalized patients with cancer and severe sepsis were more than five times as likely to die than cancer patients not suffering from severe sepsis. 37.8% of patients with cancer and severe sepsis died in hospital in comparison to 7.2% of patients with cancer but no severe sepsis. This corresponds to the death of around 46,700 patients every year.
"Our study demonstrates the devastating complication of severe infections in cancer patients. Improvement in infection control, such as early appropriate antibiotics, in this population could have a significant impact on overall cancer survival," said Williams.
Cancer treatments and the presence of tumors can cause patients with cancer to become immunosuppressed. This hinders their ability to fight off infection, and makes them more at risk of severe sepsis than the general population.
In general, cancer patients were nearly four times as likely to be hospitalized with severe sepsis than people without cancer. Patients suffering from lymphoma, leukemia or other blood cancers were even more susceptible to severe sepsis than those suffering from cancer of a solid organ.
Patients with a blood cancer were 15 times more likely than the average person to suffer from severe sepsis. This higher rate corresponds to the fact that these patients are likely to be more severely immunocompromised than patients with other forms of cancer.
"We found that severe sepsis is a common, deadly, and costly complication in cancer patients," write the authors. "This complication was associated with nearly a three-fold increase in the time spent in hospital. We estimate that the annual hospital costs for these patients exceed US$3 billion annually"
BioMed Central Limited
Cancer Current Events and Cancer News RSSPossible Link Studied Between Childhood Abuse and Early Cellular Aging
Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University.
Rare pancreatic cancer patients may live longer when treated with radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is effective in achieving local control and palliation in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNTs), despite such tumors being commonly considered resistant to radiation therapy.
Researchers Identify Role of Gene in Tumor Development, Growth and Progression
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have identified a gene that may play a pivotal role in two processes that are essential for tumor development, growth and progression to metastasis.
Saving the single cysteine: new antioxidant system found
We've all read studies about the health benefits of having a life partner. The same thing is true at the molecular level, where amino acids known as cysteines are much more vulnerable to damage when single than when paired up with other cysteines.
Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants
A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.
Cancer metabolism discovery uncovers new role of IDH1 gene mutation in brain cancer
Agios Pharmaceuticals today announced that its scientists have established, for the first time, that the mutated IDH1 gene has a novel enzyme activity consistent with a cancer-causing gene, or oncogene.
New cancer target for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered a molecular mechanism that may prove to be a powerful target for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects lymphocytes, or white blood cells.
Johns Hopkins researchers track down protein responsible for chronic rhinosinusitis with polyps
A protein known to stimulate blood vessel growth has now been found to be responsible for the cell overgrowth in the development of polyps that characterize one of the most severe forms of sinusitis, a study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.
Laser therapy can aggravate skin cancer
High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas.
Reflux esophagitis due to immune reaction, not acute acid burn, UT Southwestern researchers report
Contrary to current thinking, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might not develop as a direct result of acidic digestive juices burning the esophagus, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found in an animal study.
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