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Comment
. 2009;13(2):122.
doi: 10.1186/cc7721. Epub 2009 Mar 2.

Patients with cancer on the ICU: the times they are changing

Evert de Jonge  1 , Monique M Bos
Affiliations
Comment

Patients with cancer on the ICU: the times they are changing

Evert de Jonge et al. Crit Care. 2009.

Abstract

A recent paper by Taccone and coworkers showed that 15% of patients from 198 European intensive care units (ICUs) had a malignancy, mostly solid tumors but also hematological malignancies. Over the past years, the prognosis of cancer patients has improved significantly, even when ICU admission is necessary. Refusal of ICU admission should not be based on a diagnosis of cancer as the underlying condition. In contrast, these decisions should be based on the availability of treatment options, and on patients' own preferences.

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References

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