Background: Uro-oncological emergencies can be caused by the tumor, treatment complications, or non-oncological diseases. This review focuses on chemotherapy-associated emergencies, especially febrile neutropenia (FN), tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), and extravasations.
Aim: The goal is to provide an overview on the most relevant chemotherapy-associated emergencies and treatment methods.
Materials and methods: The ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology), EORTC (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer), and S3 guidelines were used for the preparation of this review and a PubMed search was performed for "febrile neutropenia", "extravasation", and "tumor lysis syndrome". A selection of the most relevant articles was included.
Results: A comprehensive medical history and examination are prerequisite for optimal treatment of chemotherapy-associated emergencies. The following aspects are of special interest: the malignant disease (tumor proliferation rate and burden); the applied medication (e. g., risk of FN, tissue damaging potential); the physical condition of the patient; age and relevant concomitant diseases (e. g., cardiovascular disease). Based on the diagnosis and the individual risk profile, therapeutic procedures are initiated. Distinct complications require an interdisciplinary treatment strategy.
Conclusion: New treatment options such as checkpoint inhibitors complicate diagnosis and treatment of uro-oncological emergencies. Thus, improved diagnostic tools are required to draw the right conclusions in an emergency.
Keywords: Antibiotics; Broad spectrum antibiotics; Extravasation; Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; Prophylaxis.