Oncological emergencies

Abstract

Emergency conditions in oncology may arise either as part of the malignant disease itself, or may be associated with its treatment. They are potentially life-threatening conditions that require urgent care, often with patient hospitalization and a multidisciplinary treatment approach. Consequently, it is important that all physicians are familiar not only with potential oncological emergencies which may occur in their clinical practice but also how to provide the most effective care in a timely fashion. In this review article we comprise the clinical features and treatment of several of these emergencies, namely the superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), elevated intracranial pressure, metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC), hypercalcemia and febrile neutropenia.