[Patients with cancer: a challenge for emergency departments].

Abstract

The number of patients with active cancer continues to rise and leads to increased emergency department visits. The symptoms are frequently associated with the underlying malignancy and include dyspnea, fever, pain, as well as gastrointestinal and neurological complaints. Hospitalization and intensive care unit admission rates are high and impose a significant burden on resource utilization. Identifying factors contributing to potentially preventable emergency department visits is pivotal. Broader access to ambulatory cancer care and improved interdisciplinary collaboration are likely to improve patient allocation. On the one hand, early initiation and expertise of palliative care is warranted to avoid futile interventions near end of life. On the other hand, current triage tools may not be sufficient to identify cancer patients with urgent need for medical interventions. In particular, new adverse events, such as immunotherapy-associated complications need to be recognized. Therefore, continuous medical education in the field of hemato-oncology for emergency department staff plays a key role in securing high quality emergency care for cancer patients.