Background: Terminal cancer patients have varying symptoms and most complain of dyspnea. Dyspnea is fatal in terminal cancer patients, and the tests for dyspnea are limited. Pro B-type natriuretic peptide (Pro-BNP) is an objective indicator for patients with dyspnea. Pro-BNP is used to determine prognosis and diagnose cardiovascular disease. However, the Pro-BNP level also increases in patients with diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), liver cirrhosis, and terminal cancer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the Pro-BNP level and life expectancy in terminal cancer patients with dyspnea.

Methods: Fifty-six terminal cancer patients hospitalized in a palliative care unit of a university hospital in Korea between July 2013 and September 2014 were retrospectively analyzed, and we measured their Pro-BNP levels. Survival days were calculated from the day of admission or transfer in to the day of death. The association between the Pro-BNP level and life expectancy was evaluated.

Results: The median survival was 9.0 days (95% confidence interval 6.0?13.0 days), and the median Pro-BNP level was 742.8 pg/mL (interquartile range 335.4?2082). The mean numbers of survival days in the normal and abnormal Pro-BNP groups were 63 and 9.0, respectively (p-value 0.0567). Multivariate analysis showed that the factors affecting survival days were the Pro-BNP level (p-value 0.0755), age (p-value 0.5935), and sex (p-value 0.0875).

Conclusion: No significant association was identified between the Pro-BNP level and survival time in terminal cancer patients with dyspnea.