title: Single center experience on causes of cancer patients visiting the emergency department in southwest Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emergency departments are visited by cancer patients for palliation of cancer-related symptoms, management of treatment-related side effects, oncologic emergencies, co-morbidities, and/or end of life care. In this study, we aimed to identify the characteristics of cancer patients admitted to an emergency medicine department in Southwest Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this retrospective descriptive study, a total of 304 emergency department admissions of 102 patients with cancer due to medical conditions were evaluated. Descriptive statistical methods, statistical analysis for correlation, Student's t-test, chi-square tests and logistic regression test were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of patients visiting to emergency departments were male (n=66, 65%) and over 65 years of age (53, 52%). Some 30% (n=31) had a lung cancer diagnosis, 32% (n=33) presentation with dyspnea, 53% (n=55) with metastasis, 30% (n=16) with multiple metastatic lesions in lung, and 68% (n=70) had a poor ECOG performance status (score 3 to 4).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emergency departments have valuable roles in managing and caring for patients with malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Mugla, Turkey E-mail : dr.ozgur.tanriverdi@gmail.com, ozgur.tanriverdi@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ozgur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tanriverdi
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Beydilli
authors.forename: Birdal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yildirim
authors.forename: Ulku
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Karagoz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey