Emergency Oncology Care for Dummies (Oncologic Emergencies Interest Group-Sponsored)

Managing cancer patients in the emergency department can be challenging, especially when dealing with complex therapies and unfamiliar oncologic emergencies. In this session, we will provide a practical overview of critical concepts in modern immunotherapy, including targeted therapies, checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapy, and bispecific antibodies. We’ll cover common complications that require procedural intervention, best practices for addressing code status conversations, and how to manage newly diagnosed cancer patients. Our goal is to equip you with the tools to quickly assess and navigate cancer-related care while remaining compliant with the recent updates in the ABEM Model of Clinical Practice.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:
  • Develop an approach to quickly finding the resources they need to take care of their cancer patient in an informed manner.
  • Identify risk factors for complications such as ICI-related immunotherapy, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, and postoperative complications in their patients.
  • Learn how to educate patients with new cancer diagnoses regarding their critical next steps, ensuring provider compliance with recent cancer-related changes in the ABEM Model of Clinical Practice.

Presenters:

  • Jonathan Rowland, MD
  • Jason J. Bischof, MD
Authors

  • Jonathan Rowland, MD

    UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

    Dr. Jonathan Rowland is an oncologic emergency medicine assistant professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. He completed medical school at UT SOM San Antonio, residency at WSU/DMC Sinai Grace Hospital, an emergency ultrasound fellowship at UC Irvine, and has been exclusively working at MD Anderson's Acute Cancer Care Center since 2021, one of the nation's only dedicated oncologic ERs. He, unfortunately, every shift, still sees at least a dozen new words he's never seen before, usually new cancer therapeutics, and has concluded that that will actually never end, and accepts his fate as an okay ER doctor who must now find ways to avoid cancer-care-related mistakes in an institution that does not take kindly to them. In addition to setting up a point-of-care ultrasound program presence at MD Anderson, his other professional interest is learning more about cancer treatment so he gets fewer angry emails from other oncologists. He particularly enjoys simplifying MD Anderson's library of convoluted algorithms so that they can actually be remembered by mere mortal ER docs. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking, fixing things around the house, climbing, and trying to be a good dad to his 6-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy.

  • Jason J. Bischof, MD

    Ohio State University Medical Center

    Dr. Jason Bischof, MD is an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He serves as the assistant director of clinical trials with an academic interest on acute oncology research.

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