Cancer-Related Visits to the Emergency Department: Trends and Patient Characteristics at Adam Malik General Hospital Medan

Authors

  • Kamal Basri Siregar Department of Emergency Medicine, H. Adam Malik General Hospital, Medan, 20136, Indonesia
  • Yolanda Rahayu Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, 20155, Indonesia
  • Yongki Suganda Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, 20155, Indonesia
  • Aze Andrea Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan, 20155, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32734/sumej.v6i3.12830

Keywords:

cancer patient, characteristics, emergency, malignancy

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of cancer cases globally is increasing rapidly, especially in emergency department (ED) visits. Usually, cancer patients come for acute signs and symptoms of a still undiagnosed malignancy, management of treatment-related side effects, co-morbidities, and palliative care. Objective: To identify the demographic characteristics of cancer patients, reasons for ED visits, and associated factors of oncologic patients. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2022 - June 2023 at the ED of H. Adam Malik Hospital Medan with 392 oncologic patients. Data were collected using the Integrated System Application of Hospital (STARS) database. Results: The percentage of women (69%) was two times higher than men (31%), with 82% being 18- 64 years old. Breast was the most common location of malignancy for 21.4%, followed by gastrointestinal malignancy for 20.1%. The most common reason for ED visits was pain, followed by gastrointestinal symptoms. The ratio of patients who were discharged and hospitalized was 50:50, while the mortality rate was none. Conclusion: The most common primary diagnosis was breast malignancy in women and gastrointestinal malignancy in men. The majority of ED visits were for the management of treatment-related side effects and palliative care.

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Published

2023-09-01

How to Cite

1.
Basri Siregar K, Rahayu Y, Suganda Y, Andrea A. Cancer-Related Visits to the Emergency Department: Trends and Patient Characteristics at Adam Malik General Hospital Medan. Sumat. Med. J. [Internet]. 2023Sep.1 [cited 2025May12];6(3):123-9. Available from: https://talenta.usu.ac.id/smj/article/view/12830

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2023): Sumatera Medical Journal (SUMEJ)

Section

Research Article

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