Table 2 Definitions and criteria for the categorisation of data used in the study

Age (years)

≤65 or > 65 years

 Regular clinic hours

Non-holiday weekdays Monday through Friday between 8:00–16:00,

 Off-clinic hours

Weekends or holidays or weekdays 16:01–07:59

Types of Cancer (12 categories)

Colorectal cancer, Breast cancer, Gastroesophageal cancers (including cancers of the stomach and the esophagus),

Genitourinary cancers (including all cancers of the genitourinary tract, except prostate cancer), Prostate cancer,

Head and neck cancers, Cancers of the pancreas, liver, biliary tract and the small intestine, Respiratory (mostly lung) cancers,

Hematological malignancies, Melanoma, Non-melanoma skin cancers, Other (including all other primary cancers excluded from the other categories and metastases).

Number of comorbidities

0, 1, ≥2

Oncological care prior to ER visit

Any type of inpatient or outpatient oncological care (BSC, palliative care, hospice) or treatment (chemo-, radio-, immunotherapy or surgery), which the patient received closest to the current ED visit’s date.

Types of Oncological care

Surgical-, radio-, chemo-, immune- or biological- and hormone treatments as well as supportive care (BSC/palliative care) and hospice

Time elapsed between the given ED visit and prior oncological care

The number of days between the first day of any form of the previous oncological care and the date of the nearest subsequent ER visit, collapsed into two categories: “≤30 days” and “> 30 days”

Triage (MSTR, Hungarian Emergency Triage System)

5, Non-urgent

4, Less urgent

3, Urgent

2, Emergent

1, Resuscitation

For the purpose of the analysis, Triage level 1–4 patients were classified as „urgent” and Triage level „5″ patients as non-urgent.

Chief complaints

Main symptom or complaint of the patient, the reason the patient visited our ED. Classified according to the ICD-10 coding, were collapsed into 21 main categories based on the affected organs and/or the frequency of the given symptom as determined by the expert group.

Diagnosis given following ED admission

Diagnosis given following ED admission indicates the patient’s present disease/medical condition for which he/she visited the ED. It is the final diagnosis given by the emergency physician who evaluated the patient after ED admission.

Classified according to the ICD-10 coding, diagnoses were collapsed into 24 main categories based on the affected organs and/or the frequency of the given symptom as determined by the expert group.

Destination from ED

Grouped into 3 categories: discharged to place of primary residence, admitted to the inpatient area or discharged against medical advice.

BSC/palliative care

Best supportive care or specialized palliative care, where available