Goals: To describe an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurring after chemotherapy for non-seminomatous germ-cell tumors (NSGCT) with diffuse lung metastases, we conducted a retrospective study in a 15-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in a comprehensive cancer center.
Patients and methods: During a 10-year period, 16 consecutive patients with diffuse lung metastases from a NSGCT were admitted to the ICU for respiratory distress and high-risk chemotherapy.
Main results: Nine patients developed acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) within 3 days of the initiation of chemotherapy, while the respiratory status of the seven other patients improved. The evolution was independent of tumor marker levels and the type of chemotherapy regimen. The SAPS II score did not accurately describe the severity of this population. The only predictor of intubation was the initial PaO2/FiO2 ratio upon admission to the ICU. Six out of seven patients who did not require MV were discharged alive from the hospital, whereas all but one patient requiring MV died. Refractory hypoxemia and ventilator-associated pneumonia were the leading causes of death.
Conclusions: Acute respiratory distress in patients with lung metastases from NSGCT is a rare cause of ARDS. Chemotherapy could be responsible for triggering the respiratory worsening. Patients with severe respiratory insufficiency (PaO2 <70 mmHg on room air) on admission to hospital should be promptly transferred to the ICU for the first chemotherapy course.