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Fleshner L, Lagree A, Shiner A, Alera MA, Bielecki M, Grant R, Kiss A, Krzyzanowska MK, Cheng I, Tran WT, Gandhi S. Drivers of Emergency Department Use Among Oncology Patients in the Era of Novel Cancer Therapeutics: A Systematic Review. Oncologist 2023; 28:1020-1033. [PMID: 37302801 PMCID: PMC10712716 DOI: 10.1093/oncolo/oyad161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients diagnosed with cancer are frequent users of the emergency department (ED). While many visits are unavoidable, a significant portion may be potentially preventable ED visits (PPEDs). Cancer treatments have greatly advanced, whereby patients may present with unique toxicities from targeted therapies and are often living longer with advanced disease. Prior work focused on patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy, and often excluded those on supportive care alone. Other contributors to ED visits in oncology, such as patient-level variables, are less well-established. Finally, prior studies focused on ED diagnoses to describe trends and did not evaluate PPEDs. An updated systematic review was completed to focus on PPEDs, novel cancer therapies, and patient-level variables, including those on supportive care alone. METHODS Three online databases were used. Included publications were in English, from 2012-2022, with sample sizes of ≥50, and reported predictors of ED presentation or ED diagnoses in oncology. RESULTS 45 studies were included. Six studies highlighted PPEDs with variable definitions. Common reasons for ED visits included pain (66%) or chemotherapy toxicities (69.1%). PPEDs were most frequent amongst breast cancer patients (13.4%) or patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy (20%). Three manuscripts included immunotherapy agents, and only one focused on end-of-life patients. CONCLUSION This updated systematic review highlights variability in oncology ED visits during the last decade. There is limited work on the concept of PPEDs, patient-level variables and patients on supportive care alone. Overall, pain and chemotherapy toxicities remain key drivers of ED visits in cancer patients. Further work is needed in this realm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Fleshner
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrew Lagree
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Audrey Shiner
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Marie Angeli Alera
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mateusz Bielecki
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
| | - Robert Grant
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Alex Kiss
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Monika K Krzyzanowska
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- The Cancer Quality Lab, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ivy Cheng
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - William T Tran
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sonal Gandhi
- Sunnybrook Research Institute, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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