Abstract
The management of emergency oncology patients presents many challenges. In the United Kingdom, there have been two strategies adopted to improve the care of acutely unwell cancer patients – the development of specialist admission units in tertiary cancer units and the evolution of “acute oncology services” to support patients admitted to non-cancer hospitals.
The fundamental principles of an acute oncology service are to promote education, awareness and early specialist oncology input to integrate the work of acute care physicians, surgeons, medical specialists and oncologists. Acute oncology supports the variety of ED presentations from initial diagnosis, treatment complications to end-of-life issues.
Ambulatory care is recognised as a key tenet in ensuring the safety and sustainability of acute care services. There are an increasing number of acute cancer presentations that can be risk assessed for care in an emergency ambulatory setting. Ambulatory models offer the opportunity to integrate palliative and supportive care with oncology and acute services.
The optimal medical management of many cancer-related emergencies is a key area for further research. Acute care of the oncology patient is gaining recognition as an important international area that could be improved upon with increased training, research and emphasis on integration into the oncology system.
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Cooksley, T. (2021). Emergency Oncology in the United Kingdom. In: Todd, K.H., Thomas, Jr., C.R., Alagappan, K. (eds) Oncologic Emergency Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67123-5_66
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67123-5_66
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