Laboratory evidence and clinical evidence suggest that some patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) have immunologically mediated disease. This article describes the laboratory evidence supporting a role for the immune system…
Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, drive stable, clonally propagated changes in gene expression and can therefore serve as molecular mediators of pathway dysfunction in neoplasia. Myelodysplastic…
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) disorders are clonal diseases that often carry stereotypic chromosomal abnormalities. A smaller proportion of cases harbor point mutations that activate oncogenes or inactivate tumor suppressor genes. New…
The incidence of the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in the United States is reported as 3.4 per 100,000 people, translating to over 10,000 new diagnoses annually. This figure is considered to…
Patients and families struggling with cancer fear pain more than any other physical symptom. There are also significant barriers to optimal pain management in the emergency setting, including lack of…
Cancer patients can have acquired bleeding problems for many reasons. In this review, an approach to the evaluation and management of the bleeding patient is discussed. Specific issues including coagulation…
Myeloproliferative disorders and the serum hyperviscosity syndrome can rapidly manifest with emergent presentations. Hyperviscosity occurs from pathologic elevations of either the cellular or acellular (protein) fractions of the circulating blood….
Neutropenic enterocolitis, also known as typhlitis or ileocecal syndrome, is a rare, but important, complication of neutropenia associated with malignancy. It occurs as a result of chemotherapeutic damage to the…
Acute renal failure (ARF) can be one of the many complications associated with malignancy and, unfortunately, often harbors a worse prognosis for the afflicted patient. Insult to the kidneys can…
A thorough working knowledge of the diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening electrolyte abnormalities in cancer patients, especially hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, and hypercalcemia, is essential to the successful practice of emergency medicine….
