Trend in sepsis burden among hospitalized non-child cancer patients in China, 2017–2019: A nationwide cross-sectional study

The trend in sepsis burden among cancer patients, along with geographic variation and the impact of healthcare resource availability, remains underexplored in China. This study was conducted to evaluate the in-hospital incidence, case fatality, and mortality rates of sepsis among cancer patients in China during the period from 2017 to 2019. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Data Center for Medical Service. Cancer patients aged ≥15 years hospitalized with sepsis across 3975 hospitals from 2017 to 2019 were included. Sepsis cases were identified using ICD-10 diagnosis and ICD-9 procedure codes. Sepsis incidence, case fatality, and mortality rates were estimated, and multivariable regression was used to analyze associations between sepsis outcomes and healthcare resource factors, including intensive care unit (ICU) bed supply and human development index (HDI). From 2017 to 2019, the in-hospital sepsis incidence among cancer patients increased by 35.3%, from 4111.20 to 5564.42 per 100,000 admissions. The case fatality rate declined from 17.94% to 14.08%, while sepsis-related mortality rose from 512.06 to 783.46 per 100,000. Significant geographic disparities were observed, with healthcare resources like HDI and cancer mortality associated with sepsis outcomes. Sepsis remains a significant burden on hospitalized cancer patients in China, with considerable geographic disparities. Reducing sepsis incidence through enhanced infection control and improving healthcare resource distribution, especially in regions with limited resources, are critical to lowering sepsis-related mortality among cancer patients.