Onco-Nephrology: Unraveling acute Kidney injury in Cancer and its association with Nephrotoxic Medications and Biomarkers

Abstract Background The patients with malignancies are at increased risk of infection, sepsis, tumor lysis syndrome, drug-related toxicity, and other comorbidities, leading to a significantly increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). This prospective study analyzed the clinical data of AKI in cancer patients and explored the predictive value of Cystatin C (CysC) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in the prognosis of cancer patients with AKI. Methods Patients with malignancies, attending the Service of Oncology, University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa “Tirana, Albania from September 2024 to February 2025 were enrolled according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results A total of 100 patients were included. Among them, 21 cases (21 %) had AKI, and 79 cases (79%) had no AKI. Among the AKI patients, in 17 of them (81 %) the renal function recovered. Serum CysC and NGAL levels persisted elevated in patients who didn’t recover the renal function. Conclusions AKI is an important complication in cancer patients, treated with chemotherapy. Baseline NGAL and CysC levels are associated with the occurrence of AKI in cancer patients.