Key Points Question Do patient characteristics of smokers and never-smokers differ among patients with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC)? Findings In this cohort study examining 225 788 patients with lung cancer, among patients with SCLC, there were more older individuals, more women, more patients with a poor performance status and in an advanced stage of cancer, and more patients who did not receive treatment among never-smokers than among smokers. Never-smokers, particularly men, experienced worse outcomes. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with SCLC differ between smokers and never-smokers.

Objectives: To investigate the association between adjunctive nebulized colistin and treatment outcomes in critically ill patients with nosocomial carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacterial (CR-GNB) pneumonia. Methods: This retrospective, multi-centre, cohort study included individuals admitted to the intensive care unit with nosocomial pneumonia caused by colistin-susceptible CR-GNB. Enrolled patients were divided into groups with/without nebulized colistin as adjunct to at least one effective intravenous antibiotic. Propensity score matching was performed in the original cohort (model 1) and a time-window bias-adjusted cohort (model 2). The association between adjunctive nebulized colistin and treatment outcomes was analysed. Results: In total, 181 and 326 patients treated with and without nebulized colistin, respectively, were enrolled for analysis. The day 14 clinical failure rate and mortality rate were 41.4% (75/181) versus 46% (150/326), and 14.9% (27/181) versus 21.8% (71/326), respectively. In the propensity score-matching analysis, patients with nebulized colistin had lower day 14 clinical failure rates (model 1: 41% (68/ 166) versus 54.2% (90/166), p 0.016; model 2: 35.3% (41/116) versus 56.9% (66/116), p 0.001). On multivariate analysis, nebulized colistin was an independent factor associated with fewer day 14 clinical failures (model 1: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.59, 95% CI 0.37e0.92; model 2: aOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 e0.65). Nebulized colistin was not associated independently with a lower 14-day mortality rate in the time-dependent analysis in both models 1 and 2.

A positive fluid balance has been found to be deleterious in critically ill patients; however, the impact of early fluid balance, particularly on long-term outcomes, in critically ill patients with cancer remains unclear. We performed this retrospective study at a tertiary-care referral hospital with 1500 beds and 6 intensive care units (ICUs) in central Taiwan, and 942 patients with cancer admitted to ICUs during 2013 to 2016 were enrolled. The primary outcome was 1-year mortality. Cancer-related data were obtained from the cancer registry, and data during ICU admissions were retrieved from the electronic medical records. The association between fluid balance, which was represented by median and interquartile range, and 1-year mortality was determined by calculating the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression model. The in-hospital mortality rate was 22.9% (216 of 942), and the mortality within 1 year after the index ICU admission was 38.7% (365 of 942). Compared to survivors, nonsurvivors tended to have a higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (24.1 ± 6.9 vs 20.5 ± 6.2, P < .01), a higher age (65.0 ± 14.4 vs 61.3 ± 14.3, P < .01), a higher serum creatinine (1.5 ± 1.3 vs 1.0 ± 1.0, P < .01), and a higher cumulative day 1 to 4 fluid balance (2669, 955-5005 vs 4103, 1268-7215 mL, P < .01). Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis found that cumulative day-4 fluid balance was independently associated with 1-year mortality (adj HR 1.227, 95% CI: 1.132-1.329). A positive day 1 to 4 cumulative fluid balance was associated with shorter 1-year survival in critically ill patients with cancer. Further studies are needed to validate this association.