Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jun;39(6):1195-1204.
doi: 10.1002/hed.24748. Epub 2017 Mar 27.

Cohort study of oncologic emergencies in patients with head and neck cancer

Cielito C Reyes-Gibby  1 , Stephanie C Melkonian  1 , Ehab Y Hanna  2 , Sai-Ching J Yeung  1 , Charles Lu  3 , Mark S Chambers  2 , Srinivas R Banala  1 , Gary B Gunn  4 , Sanjay S Shete  5   6
Affiliations

Cohort study of oncologic emergencies in patients with head and neck cancer

Cielito C Reyes-Gibby et al. Head Neck. 2017 Jun.

Abstract

Background: Treatments for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are associated with toxicities that lead to emergency department presentation.

Methods: We utilized data from an ongoing prospective cohort of newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients (N = 298) with HNSCC to evaluate the association between clinical and epidemiologic factors and risk for and frequency of emergency department presentation. Time to event was calculated from the date of treatment initiation to emergency department presentation, date of death, or current date. Frequency of emergency department presentation was the sum of emergency department visits during the follow-up time.

Results: History of hypertension, normal/underweight body mass index (BMI), and probable depression predicted increased risk for emergency department presentation. BMI and severe pain were associated with higher frequency of emergency department presentations.

Conclusion: Clinical and epidemiologic factors can help predict patients with HNSCC who will present to the emergency department. Such knowledge may improve treatment-related patient outcomes and quality of life. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1195-1204, 2017.

Keywords: chief complaints; cohort study; emergency department; head and neck cancer; treatment toxicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chief Complaints for First ED visits and Time from Treatment Initiation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2015. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
    1. Mehanna H, Paleri V, West CM, Nutting C. Head and neck cancer-part 1: epidemiology, presentation, and preservation. Clin Otolaryngol. 2011;36:65–68. - PubMed
    1. Logan RM. Advances in understanding of toxicities of treatment for head and neck cancer. Oral Oncol. 2009;45:844–848. - PubMed
    1. Hanna EY, Mendoza TR, Rosenthal DI, et al. The symptom burden of treatment-naive patients with head and neck cancer. Cancer. 2015;121:766–773. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mayer DK, Travers D, Wyss A, Leak A, Waller A. Why do patients with cancer visit emergency departments? Results of a 2008 population study in North Carolina. J Clin Oncol. 2011;29:2683–2688. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources