Intensive Care

Critically ill oncology patients form a distinct cohort with distinct physiologic and pathological characteristics that set them apart from other patients in the ICU. Advances in the field of critical care have led to an improvement in the outcomes in all fields, including oncologic critical care. Apart from the significant improvement in the standard of care provided, appropriate patient selection and early aggressive interventions for source control in these subsets have made a difference in the outcome. The development of organ dysfunction during the illness is more important than the oncology characteristics in predicting outcome. Clinical acumen and currently available scoring systems cannot accurately predict the possible beneficiaries of critical care. Hence, in eligible patients without advanced directives, the concept of ICU trial is increasingly practiced. As these patients have multiple comorbidities apart from the specific cancer-related problems, they require a multidisciplinary approach for their management. Palliative care and symptom control are indispensable pillars on which the ICU care should be planned for all the critically ill oncology patients in ICU.