Author/Editor		Zieba, Marek; Baranowska, Agnieszka; Krawczyk, Michal; Noweta, Krzysztof; Grzelewska-Rzymowska, Iwona; Kwiatkowska, Sylwia
Title		Pneumonia as a cause of death in patients with lung cancer
Translated title		Pljučnica kot vzrok smrti pri bolnikih s pljučnim rakom
Type		članek
Source		Radiol Oncol
Vol. and No.		Letnik 37, št. 3
Publication year		2003
Volume		str. 167-74
Language		eng
Abstract		Background. Lung cancer is a very serious clinical problem in departments of pulmonary diseases. In many patients with lung cancer pneumonia is a secondary cause of death, which is caused not only by the progression of the disease but also by the applied treatment negatively influencing the immunity of human organism. Clinical and radiological symptoms of the infection can frequently suggest the progression of neoplastic disease. That is why in each case of deterioration of the state of patients with lung cancer the properdiagnosis of the cause should be endeavoured in order to implement the right therapeutic procedures. Patients and methods. We have retrospectively evaluated 70 patients who died in the period between 1997and 1999 in our Department due to lung cancer. Both clinical and bacteriological analyses of deaths were performed and a particular interest in pneumonia as a cause of deat was taken. Results. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 41 patients with lung cancer (58.5%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae was the main etiological factor of pulmonary infection. In patients with SCLC, the extent of inflammatory changes on chest X-ray and white blood cell count correlated negatively with the period of hospitalisation (R = -0.6 and R = -0.54; p<0.05, respectively). Conclusions. Lung cancer was the main cause of death in patients died in the Department of Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Diseases, Medical University of Lodz. Pneumonia was diagnosed in 58.5 % as a secondary cause of death in lung cancer patients.
Summary		Izhodišča. Na bolnišničnih pljučnih oddelkih predstavlja pljučni rak resen klinični izziv. Pri mnogih bolnikih s pljučnim rakom je pljučnica sekundarni vzrok smrti in ne nastane samo zaradi napredovanja osnovne bolezni, ampak tudi zaradi stranskih učinkov zdravljenja, ki predstavljajo negativen vpliv na imunski odgovor organizma. Klinične in radiološke znake infekcijske bolezni si lahko napačno razlagamo kot napredovanje pljučnega raka. Tako je pri vsakem poslabšanju bolnikovega stanja izredno pomembno, da ugotovimo pravi vzrok poslabšanja, saj to bistveno vpliva na način zdravljenja. Bolniki in metode. Retrospektivno smo analizirali 70 bolnikov, ki so umrli v letih 1997-1999 na Oddelku za tuberkulozo in pljučne bolezni Medicinske fakultete zaradi pljučnega raka. Narejene so bile klinične in bakteriološke preiskave s posebnim poudarkom na ugotavljanju pljučnice kot vzroka smrti. Rezultati. Pljučnico smo diagnosticirali pri 41 bolnikih s pljučnim rakom (58,5%) in streptokok pneumonije je bil najpogostejši etiološki dejavnik pljučne okužbe. Pri bolnikih z drobnoceličnim rakom pljuč sta obsežnost vnetnih sprememb na rentgenogramih in število leukocitov negativno korelirala s časom hospitalizacije (R = -0,6 in R = -0,54; p<0,05). Zaključki. Čeprav predstavlja pljučni rak glavni vzrok smrti na našem Oddelku za tuberkulozo in pljučne bolezni Medicinske fakultete v Ludueu, pa je bila pljučnica diagnosticirana v kar 58,5% kot sekundarni vzrok smrti pri bolnikih s pljučnim rakom.
Descriptors		LUNG NEOPLASMS PNEUMONIA STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE SURVIVAL RATE RETROSPECTIVE STUDIES