Background/Aims: The effects of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the risk of death for patients with malignant disease are uncertain. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the presence of CKD and mortality in cancer patients. Method: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 8,223 cancer patients with one or more serum creatinine measurements from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2004. The key outcome was cancer-specific mortality within the follow-up period. The cumulative incidence rate for death from cancer was estimated using methods of competing risks survival analysis. Cox proportional-hazards regression with the use of Fine and Gray’s proportional-hazards model were evaluated in multiple analyses. Results: CKD was associated with an increased risk of death in cancer patients. The adjusted hazard ratios were 1.12 for patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30–59 ml/min/1.73 m² (95% confidence interval 1.01–1.26, p = 0.04) and 1.75 for patients with an eGFR <30 ml/min/1.73 m² (95% confidence interval 1.32–2.32, p < 0.001). Conclusions: CKD should be considered a risk factor for survival among patients with cancer.

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Coronary artery plaque is related to development of coronary artery disease (CAD), and chronic kidney disease is associated with CAD. However, the association of renal dysfunction (RD) with coronary artery plaque characteristics has not been fully elucidated. We evaluated the association between RD and coronary artery plaque characteristics in patients with suspected CAD, who underwent multislice computed tomographic angiography (CTA). A total of 918 patients were classified into 4 groups: group with no plaque (NP) (48.9%), group with calcified plaque (CP) (16.0%), group with noncalcified plaque (NCP) (22.4%), and group with mixed plaque (MP) (12.7%). NCP is considered as rupture-prone soft plaque, and CP as more stable lesion. The mean of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 82.5 ± 15.4 mL/min/1.73m 2 , and the prevalence of RD (defined as eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2 ) was 6.3%. The prevalence of RD was 3.3% in the NP group, 10.2% in the CP group, 5.3% in the NCP group, and 14.5% in the MP group (P < 0.001 by ANOVA tests). The adjusted odds ratio for RD was 3.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.27 -9.04) for the MP group, compared with the NP group. The presence of RD showed an independent association with the MP counts (r = 0.155, P < 0.001); however, there was no association between RD and other plaque characteristics. In conclusion, RD is associated with MP rather than CP or NCP, compared with NP, which may reflect one of the developmental processes of CAD in patients with RD.

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