46. SUPERIOR VENA CAVA SYNDROME
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS) is a partial or complete obstruction of the blood flow returning to the heart from the head, neck, upper thorax, and upper extremities….
45. SUICIDAL IDEATION
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Suicide is the act of killing oneself on purpose. The term suicide stems from the Latin words sui, meaning “self,” and caedere, meaning “to kill.” Suicidal ideation is…
43. SPINAL CORD COMPRESSION
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Spinal cord compression (SCC) is an oncologic emergency that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Delays in diagnosis result in loss of mobility, loss of bladder function, and decreased…
41. SEPSISAND SEPTIC SHOCK
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Healthy individuals with an intact immune system are able to mount a normal immune response to a microbe exposure, preventing colonization of the host. Patients with cancer are…
42. SINUSOID OCCLUSIVE SYNDROME
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Sinusoid occlusive syndrome (SOS) is increasingly replacing the term venulo-occlusive disease (VOD), because current research suggests that the initial target of this syndrome is primarily the liver sinusoids…
38. PLEURAL EFFUSIONS: MALIGNANT
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Malignant pleural effusions are collections of excess body fluid in the pleural space. The pleural space is located between the visceral and parietal pleura. Normally, fluid is shifted…
37. PATHOLOGIC FRACTURES
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Normal bone activity includes osteoclasts that wear away bone and osteoblasts that build up new bone. A pathologic fracture in a person with cancer is a fracture that…
36. PAIN MANAGEMENT: NOCICEPTIVE AND NEUROPATHIC
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS From a mechanistic perspective, cancer pain can be classified as nociceptive or neuropathic in origin. Nociceptive pain results from activity in neural pathways caused by tissue damage. Examples…
28. HYPERURICEMIA
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Hyperuricemia, an excessive amount of uric acid in the blood, is a potentially life-threatening metabolic complication that results from overproduction or inefficient elimination of uric acid or from…
12. DYSPNEA AND AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Dyspnea, a symptom, and airway obstruction, a sign, are most notably associated with primary lung cancer and metastatic disease (Torres-Carranza et al., 2006; Le 2005; Wickham, 2002; Chernecky…
