Summary of Key Points Incidence Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are common, affecting as many as 20% of patients with cancer. Less often, the dura, leptomeninges, skull base, or cranial nerves may be affected. The most frequent primary tumor types…
Summary of Key Points Incidence Forty percent of cancer patients develop spinal metastases. Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) occurs in 2.5% of cancer patients within the last 5 years of life. The highest incidence of MESCC is in patients…
Summary of Key Points Etiology Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome is usually caused by a neoplastic process, predominantly primary lung carcinoma, with a disproportionate number of patients having small cell histology; non-Hodgkin lymphoma and metastatic tumors are the next most…
Summary of Key Points Gastrointestinal Perforation Perforation affects approximately 20% of patients with acute abdominal emergencies. Bowel perforation can be caused by tumor rupture, tumor necrosis, adverse events of systemic therapy (e.g., targeted therapy, immunotherapy, steroids), radiation therapy, or inflammatory…
Summary of Key Points Oncology clinicians must assess patients' willingness to discuss prognosis and deliver this information clearly and truthfully. Patient decisions about resuscitation preferences and disease-directed therapy, including early drug development trials, should be discussed in the context of…
Summary of Key Points Subsequent malignancies after successful treatment for cancer occur in a meaningful minority of persons. The etiology is often multifactorial and includes known hereditary conditions, unrecognized genetic predisposition, primary cancer, therapeutic exposures, age, and lifestyle practices. Guidelines…
Summary of Key Points The number of individuals in the United States living with a cancer history will continue to rise over the next decade, reaching over 20 million by the year 2026; more than two-thirds of these individuals will…
Summary of Key Points As cancer treatment improves, more patients are living longer with functional limitations, and quality-of-life issues become as important as survival. Rehabilitation must be patient centered and goal oriented. It requires an interdisciplinary team and the active…
Summary of Key Points Radiation-Induced Lung Injury (Radiation Pneumonitis or Fibrosis) Risk factors include radiation dose and volume of lung irradiated, which may be expressed as mean lung dose or as the Vx, that is, the percentage of normal lung…
Summary of Key Points Endocrine dysfunction may occur as a direct result of cancer or may be an intended consequence of cancer therapy, such as occurs following castration, adrenal suppression, or thyroid ablation to control cancer growth. Endocrine dysfunction may…