Background Modern-day treatment of childhood cancer is punctuated by the necessary need for intensive care. This study was performed to understand the intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates and factors associated with ICU admission in a cohort of newly diagnosed childhood cancer patients in India.

Methodology All childhood (age <18 years) patients in the hospital-based cancer registry who had registered between March 1, 2013, and May 31, 2018, formed the cohort. ICU admissions were recorded and demographic and clinical factors associated with ICU admission were investigated. ICU admission rates were the primary outcome of interest and secondary outcomes were ICU admission rates for sick/supportive reasons, ICU admission rates for surgical/procedural reasons and mortality during ICU admission.

Results In a cohort of 258 children (66% males, 61% from India, and median age 7 years), 149 (58%) patients needed one or more ICU admission (median one with range of one to five) with total 204 ICU admission episodes. While age group, gender, and nationality were not significantly associated with ICU admission, cancer type was (highest in neuroblastoma (82%) and central nervous system (CNS) tumors (71%)). Sick/supportive care ICU admissions were significantly higher in patients of younger age, Indian origin, and certain cancers (leukemias, lymphomas). Surgical/procedural ICU admissions were significantly higher in international patients and certain cancers (CNS tumors, neuroblastomas, and soft tissue sarcomas). There were 17 ICU deaths (11% of patients admitted to ICU) and all but one were from sick/supportive care ICU admissions.

Conclusion Our study highlights higher than reported ICU admission rates and lower than reported mortality in children with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. We next plan to develop more specific ICU admission criteria, prospectively evaluating severity metrics in these patients, and explore the development of a high dependency unit.

Article published online:
02 September 2022

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