What is considered an oncologic emergency?
Oncological emergencies are defined as any acute possible morbid or life-threatening events in patients with cancer either because of the malignancy or because of their treatment. These events may occur at any time during malignancy, from symptoms present to end-stage disease.
Table of Contents
What is considered an oncologic emergency?
Oncological emergencies are defined as any acute possible morbid or life-threatening events in patients with cancer either because of the malignancy or because of their treatment. These events may occur at any time during malignancy, from symptoms present to end-stage disease.
What are examples of oncologic emergencies?
Summary of Oncologic Emergencies
| Emergency | Associated cancer or cause |
|---|---|
| Febrile neutropenia | Chemotherapy-associated bacterial or fungal infections |
| Hyperviscosity syndrome | Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, multiple myeloma, leukemia |
| Structural | |
| Epidural spinal cord compression | Breast, lung, renal, and prostate cancers and myeloma |
What is considered the most common oncologic emergency?
Neutropenic fever (NF) is one of the most well-known oncologic emergencies. Up to 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies will develop NF at least once during the course of therapy.
What is an oncologic patient?
Oncology is the study of cancer. An oncologist is a doctor who treats cancer and provides medical care for a person diagnosed with cancer.
Which signs may indicate an oncological emergency?
Symptoms and signs include headache, changes in mental status, nausea or vomiting, focal weakness of an extremity, seizures, pain in an axial or radicular distribution, dermatomal sensory loss, and bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Why is superior vena cava syndrome and oncologic emergency?
The superior vena cava (SVC) is a large blood vessel that sends blood from the upper body and head to the heart. SVC syndrome happens when blood flow through the superior vena cava is blocked. SVC syndrome is an oncologic emergency, which is a serious health problem caused by the cancer itself or its treatment.
What is a pediatric oncologic emergency?
The earlier a potential emergency is identified, the lower the risk for the child. This article focuses on four common types of emergencies: superior vena cava syndrome, spinal cord compression, tumor lysis syndrome, and septic shock (the box on the next page shows additional types of pediatric emergencies).
What are some oncological emergencies that can occur during chemotherapy treatments?
Other oncological emergencies include hypoglycaemia, pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade, seizures, hyperviscosity syndrome (this is usually associated with Waldenström’s macroglobulinaemia) and airway obstruction .
Is hypercalcemia an oncologic emergency?
Two oncologic emergencies are hypercalcemia of malignancy and tumor lysis syndrome. Pharmacists play an essential role in appropriately managing the pharmacotherapeutic agents used for prevention and treatment of oncologic emergencies in order to improve quality of life, even in the setting of terminal illness.
Why does calcium decrease in tumor lysis syndrome?
When cancer cells break down quickly in the body, levels of uric acid, potassium, and phosphorus rise faster than the kidneys can remove them. This causes TLS. Excess phosphorus can “sop up” calcium, leading to low levels of calcium in the blood.
What are the Oncologic emergencies of cancer?
Most oncologic emergencies can be classified as metabolic, hematologic, structural, or treatment related. Tumor lysis syndrome is a metabolic emergency that presents as severe electrolyte abnormalities. Stabilization is focused on vigorous rehydration, maintaining urine output, and lowering uric acid levels.
What is an emergent diagnosis of cancer?
The differential diagnosis for a patient with cancer who presents with acute conditions includes medical emergencies not related to the patient’s diagnosis of cancer. Occasionally, these emergent conditions may be the presenting symptom of a previously undiagnosed neoplasm.
What causes structural oncologic emergencies in metastatic cancer?
Structural oncologic emergencies are caused by direct compression of nontumor structures by metastatic disease. Superior vena cava syndrome presents as facial edema with development of collateral venous circulation.
What is included in patient-focused care for oncologic emergencies?
A patient-focused approach that includes education; cancer-specific monitoring; and team-based care, including palliative care, with continuous communication is recommended. 4 Most oncologic emergencies can be categorized as metabolic, hematologic, structural, or treatment related (Table 1 5).
