[Improving organization of care could reduce referrals of cancer patients to the emergency department. Prospective analysis of 123 patients].

Objectives: The objective of this prospective study was to analyze the profile of cancer patients admitted to an emergency department.

Methods: The study included all cancer patients admitted to the emergency department of our tertiary care hospital during a 47-day period in 2004 and analyzed their demographic and medical data.

Results: Patients were predominantly male (65%) with an average age of 62 years: 90% already knew their diagnosis.