Intensive care and oncological emergencies

Intensive care is becoming more and more important in the management of cancer patients and major cancer hospitals have developed intensive therapy units not only for surgical patients but also for medical patients. There is, however, limited information in the medical literature about intensive care in oncology, especially concerning description (1-3) of the types of patients admitted in such units. A recent international inquiry performed in anticancer centers (4) showed that 70% of the cancer hospitals have at least one intensive care unit (ICU) that is specially devoted to patients with neoplastic diseases. Whether general, surgical, or medical, such units do not depart from the recommended guidelines for intensive care, as far as the number of beds, the nursing staff, and the main critical care techniques performed are concerned.SCOPUS: ch.b