Open AccessEpidemiology of sepsis in cancer patients in Victoria, Australia: a population‐based study using linked data
Author(s) -
te Marvelde Luc,
Whitfield Ann,
Shepheard Jennie,
Read Carla,
Milne Roger L.,
Whitfield Kathryn
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12935
Subject(s) - medicine , sepsis , incidence (geometry) , epidemiology , intensive care unit , cancer , cancer registry , retrospective cohort study , population , intensive care medicine , physics , environmental health , optics
Objective : To determine the clinical characteristics, outcomes and longitudinal trends of sepsis occurring in cancer patients. Method : Retrospective study using statewide Victorian Cancer Registry data linked to various administrative datasets. Results : Among 215,763 incident cancer patients, incidence of sepsis within one year of cancer diagnosis was estimated at 6.4%. The incidence of sepsis was higher in men, younger patients, patients diagnosed with haematological malignancies and those with de novo metastatic disease. Of the 13,316 patients with a first admission with sepsis, 55% had one or more organ failures, 29% required care within an intensive care unit and 13% required mechanical ventilation. Treatments associated with the highest sepsis incidence were stem cell/bone marrow transplant (33%), major surgery (4.4%), chemotherapy (1.1%) and radical radiotherapy (0.6%). The incidence of sepsis with organ failure increased between 2008 and 2015, while 90‐day mortality decreased. Conclusions : Sepsis in patients with cancer has high mortality and occurs most frequently in the first year after cancer diagnosis. Implications for public health : The number of cancer patients diagnosed with sepsis is expected to increase, causing a substantial burden on patients and the healthcare system.