Does A History of Malignancy Lead to Worse Outcomes in a Single-center Burn Unit?

A history of malignancy is associated with worse outcomes in cardiac disease and trauma. Our objective was to determine if a past medical history or comorbid condition of cancer portends an increased morbidity or mortality in burns or skin-sloughing disorders at our institution. Patients were identified using our Institutional Burn Center registry and linked to the clinical and administrative data. All patients admitted between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2021 were eligible for inclusion. Demographics, length of stay, comorbid conditions and mortality were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed with Kruskal-Wallis, chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. Seven thousand three hundred seventy-two patients were admitted during this time period. Three hundred eighty-six patients had a history of cancer (5%). Patients with a history of cancer were older (56 vs 44 years, P < .0001). They had a significantly longer length of stay (16 vs 10 days, P < .0001). They also had larger burns and higher hospital costs ($147,021 versus $83,788, P < .0001), were more likely to be male and more likely to have a skin-sloughing disorder. A history of cancer was not associated with increased odds of burn mortality. Thus, a history of cancer is associated with increased lengths of stay and costs in patients admitted for burn injury or skin-sloughing disorders, but not associated with increased mortality. Further study is warranted to investigate and mitigate what aspects of their care could be adjusted to improve outcomes.