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…
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…
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…
9. DIABETES INSIPIDUS
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a disorder of urinary concentration caused by a temporary or chronic deficiency of or insensitivity to vasopressin, or antidiuretic hormone (ADH). This condition leaves…
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…
34. LAMBERT-EATON MYASTHENIC SYNDROME
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is a rare, antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder. It can occur sporadically or as a paraneoplastic syndrome, most often associated with small cell carcinoma of the…
31. HYPONATREMIA
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Hyponatremia is a disorder of hypo-osmolality in which the rate of sodium loss exceeds the rate of water loss (true hyponatremia). Another type of hyponatremia, relative hyponatremia, is…
29. HYPOKALEMIA
PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS Hypokalemia is a low serum potassium level, which may result from a number of conditions. The normal serum potassium level ranges from 3.5 to 5.5 mEq/L; hypokalemia exists…
17. GASTROINTESTINAL OBSTRUCTION: BILIARY, GASTRIC, AND BOWEL OBSTRUCTIONS
This chapter covers three types of gastrointestinal obstructive problems: biliary obstruction, gastric obstruction, and bowel obstruction. Obstructive disorders of the biliary and gastrointestinal tract are common complications in patients with…
