COMPLICATIONS OF GROUP 4 members.

CANCERS
PROBLEM STATEMENT
A 43 year old woman is transferred to the medical ward from the emergency room.
She is drowsy and unable to give a history. Her 14 year old is in attendance but is
very emotional and can only say her mother has breast cancer.
While reading around the case we become interested in the complications of cancer
OBJECTIVES.
Define what an oncologic emergency is.
Highlight the various oncologic emergencies.
Chemo-related complications
Pyscho-socio-economic related implications
DEFINITION

A clinical condition resulting from a metabolic, neurologic, cardiovascular,

hematologic, and/or infectious change caused by cancer or its treatment that requires
immediate intervention to prevent loss of life or improve the quality of life.
CHEMO-RELATED
COMPLICATIONS
Common vesicant and irritant chemotherapeutic drugs extravasating thus causing
tissue necrosis and inflammation respectively.
Chemotherapeutic induced nausea and vomiting.
The various side effects of anti-cancer drugs such as:
• BM suppression,
•Hepatotoxicity (MTX),
•Cardiotoxicity (Doxorubicin)
Radiotherapy: can bring about other cancers
PSYCHO-SOCIO-ECONOMIC
COMPLICATIONS.
Common psychiatric syndromes seen in cancer patients include:
•Adjustment disorder,
•Major depression,
•Anxiety and
•Delirium.
CONT:
Some psychosocial factors may interfere with management of these patients e.g in
cancer-related pain management, there may be concurrent mood disturbance, fear of
addiction to the meds used etc.
SOCIAL FACTORS
The patient may loose interest in things that usually make the person happy.
An aspect of alienation from family and friends
Who takes care of who?
Death of parent may destabilize the family unit.
ECONOMIC FACTORS
Very expensive in terms of treatment and follow up care.
Sick spells ----- patient is not able to work----- decreased income
Research.
SUMMARY
Cancer does not only affect the individual physically though this is obviously the
major impediment of cancer
There is an interplay of cancer, its management and the society at large.
Davidson Textbook of medicine 23rd edition
Harrison Textbook of Medicine
Oncologic Board Flash review