Abstract
Prompt identification and treatment of life-threatening oncological conditions is of utmost importance and should always be included in the differential diagnosis. Oncological emergencies can have a myriad of presentations ranging from mechanical obstruction due to tumor growth to metabolic conditions due to abnormal secretions from the tumor. Notably, hematologic and infectious conditions may complicate the presentation of oncological emergencies. Advanced testing and imaging is generally required to recognize these serious presentations of common malignancies. Early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions can significantly affect the patient’s clinical outcome.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Yim CD, Sane SS, Bjarnason H. Superior vena cava stenting. Radiol Clin North Am. 2000;38(2):409–24.
Abrahm JL. Management of pain and spinal cord compression in patients with advanced cancer. ACP–ASIM End-of-life care consensus panel. American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Ann Intern Med. 1999;131(1):37–46.
Spodick DH. Acute cardiac tamponade. N Engl J Med. 2003;349(7):684–90. doi:10.1056/NEJMra022643.
Allen KB, Faber LP, Warren WH, Shaar CJ. Pericardial effusion: subxiphoid pericardiostomy versus percutaneous catheter drainage. Ann Thorac Surg. 1999;67(2):437–40.
Georghiou GP, Stamler A, Sharoni E, Fichman-Horn S, Berman M, Vidne BA, et al. Video-assisted thoracoscopic pericardial window for diagnosis and management of pericardial effusions. Ann Thorac Surg. 2005;80(2):607–10. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2005.02.068.
Colman RW, Rubin RN. Disseminated intravascular coagulation due to malignancy. Semin Oncol. 1990;17(2):172–86.
Sarris AH, Kempin S, Berman E, Michaeli J, Little C, Andreeff M, et al. High incidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation during remission induction of adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood. 1992;79(5):1305–10.
Bick RL. Disseminated intravascular coagulation current concepts of etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2003;17(1):149–76.
Falanga A, Consonni R, Marchetti M, Locatelli G, Garattini E, Passerini CG, et al. Cancer procoagulant and tissue factor are differently modulated by all-trans-retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Blood. 1998;92(1):143–51.
Coiffier B, Mounier N, Bologna S, Ferme C, Tilly H, Sonet A, et al. Efficacy and safety of rasburicase (recombinant urate oxidase) for the prevention and treatment of hyperuricemia during induction chemotherapy of aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: results of the GRAAL1 (Groupe d’Etude des lymphomes de l’adulte trial on rasburicase activity in adult lymphoma) study. J Clin Oncol. 2003;21(23):4402–6. doi:10.1200/JCO.2003.04.115.
Freifeld AG, Bow EJ, Sepkowitz KA, Boeckh MJ, Ito JI, Mullen CA, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer: 2010 update by the infectious diseases society of America. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2011;52(4):427–31. doi:10.1093/cid/ciq147.
Sickles EA, Greene WH, Wiernik PH. Clinical presentation of infection in granulocytopenic patients. Arch Intern Med. 1975;135(5):715–9.
Hughes WT, Armstrong D, Bodey GP, Bow EJ, Brown AE, Calandra T, et al. Guidelines for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2002;34(6):730–51. doi:10.1086/339215.
Mermel LA, Allon M, Bouza E, Craven DE, Flynn P, O’Grady NP, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of intravascular catheter-related infection: 2009 update by the infectious diseases society of America. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2009;49(1):1–45. doi:10.1086/599376.
Freifeld AG, Bow EJ, Sepkowitz KA, Boeckh MJ, Ito JI, Mullen CA, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic patients with cancer: 2010 update by the infectious diseases society of America. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2011;52(4):e56–93. doi:10.1093/cid/cir073.
Flynn PM, Van Hooser B, Gigliotti F. Atypical mycobacterial infections of Hickman catheter exit sites. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 1988;7(7):510–3.
Allen U, Smith CR, Prober CG. The value of skin biopsies in febrile, neutropenic, immunocompromised children. Am J Dis Child. 1986;140(5):459–61.
Klastersky J, Paesmans M, Rubenstein EB, Boyer M, Elting L, Feld R, et al. The multinational association for supportive care in cancer risk index: a multinational scoring system for identifying low-risk febrile neutropenic cancer patients. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18(16):3038–51.
Recommendations for preventing the spread of vancomycin resistance. Recommendations of the hospital infection control practices advisory committee (HICPAC). MMWR Recommendations and reports : morbidity and mortality weekly report recommendations and reports/Centers for Disease Control. 1995;44(RR-12):1–13.
Elting LS, Bodey GP, Keefe BH. Septicemia and shock syndrome due to viridans streptococci: a case-control study of predisposing factors. Clin Infect Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 1992;14(6):1201–7.
Conflict of interest
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Guddati, A.K., Kumar, N., Segon, A. et al. Identifying oncological emergencies. Med Oncol 30, 669 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-013-0669-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-013-0669-6