Effective prevention and management of tumor lysis syndrome: the important contributions of oncology nurses

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: At present there is no published guideline that describes the corresponding nursing interventions for the prevention and management of tumor lysis syndrome. This study has aimed to identify appropriate nursing management procedures for the prevention and treatment of tumor lysis syndrome, in line with the currently available evidence-based medical guidelines in the literature. METHODS: A systematic approach was used to identify relevant studies. The reference materials collected included reviews, reports, guidelines, journal articles, randomized controlled trials, studies and conference reviews. The search results were then limited to publications from the past 10 years (Jan. 2004–Jan. 2014) for which the full texts were available. RESULTS: Based on the comprehensive literature review, the treatment algorithm for the prevention of tumor lysis syndrome from both the medical and nursing perspectives have been established. In particular, the study highlights the importance of oncology nurses in contributing to the prevention and management of tumor lysis syndrome, which has been commonly overlooked in the existing literature. Moreover, this study provides oncology nurses with the most up-to-date information on the prevalence, pathophysiology and the prevention and treatment interventions for tumor lysis syndrome. This information is crucial for delivering appropriate, high quality care to improve patient outcomes. Most importantly, this study describes a multidisciplinary approach that involves the collaboration of both medical healthcare professionals and oncology nurses in the prevention and treatment of tumor lysis syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: This study has addressed a gap in the literature by describing nursing management in accordance with the currently available evidence-based medical guidelines for risk identification, prevention and treatment of tumor lysis syndrome.