Oncology
Immunotherapy: A Promising Cancer Therapy
Overview ㅡ Our immune system keeps us protected from many threats such as infectious bacteria, viruses, and cancer too. However, cancer cells have their own ways and tricks to skip our defense system. Immunotherapy helps the immune cells to overcome these tricks and destroy cancer cells, which makes it a promising approach to treating canc…
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Oncology
Chemotherapy-induced Nausea & Vomiting: How to Defeat it?
OVERVIEW ― No one can deny that Chemotherapy-induced Nausea & Vomiting (CINV) is the most common undesired effect of chemotherapy and the most common cause of anxiety and distress in patients with cancer. Untreated CINV could affect 60% to 80% of cancer patients and impact their Quality of Life (QOL) as well as their families, which often leads them to discontinu…
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Oncology
Act FAST when treating febrile neutropenia
As a clinical pharmacist, you should act fast when treating febrile neutropenia. Febrile neutropenia in patients with cancer is a medical emergency, since delays in care are linked to increased mortality. These patients have an isolated temp of 101°F or higher OR a temp of 100.4°F or higher for at least an hour. PLUS, an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) currently bel…
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Oncology
Manage febrile neutropenia
What about the best way to treat febrile neutropenia in cancer patients. These patients have an isolated temp of 38.5 (101.3 ℉) or higher OR a temp of 38 (100.4 ℉) or higher for at least an hour. PLUS an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) below 500 cells/mm 3 . Treat febrile neutropenia based on patient complication risks.... LOW-risk patien…
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Oncology
Ensure that oral antiemetics work well in CHEMO patients
As an oncology pharmacist, you will hear about the new ORAL antiemetic combo, Akynzeo. It will increase options to prevent chemo-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Akynzeo is the 5-HT3 antagonist palonosetron ( Aloxi ) plus a new long-acting neurokinin-1 antagonist, netupitant. Think of netupitant as an alternative to aprepitant ( Emend ). These help boost the…
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Oncology
Overview of chemotherapy: Types of chemo-drugs (standard therapy)
This article was written by: Alaa Khalid Said, BS Pharm, PharmD. Senior oncology pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacy Department, Tanta Oncology Center. OVERVIEW ― It's important to know that not all cancer treating drugs work in the same way. Some drugs to treat cancer work differently, such as targeted therapy, hormone thera…
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Oncology
Monotherapy Vs expanded regimen of antibiotics for neutropenic fever
The use of EMPIRICAL ANTIMICROBIAL treatment as part of the management of fever and neutropenia decreases the risk of progression to sepsis, septic shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, organ dysfunction, and death. In 2010 the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) updated a comprehensive guideline for the use of antimicrobial agents in neutropenic chil…
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Oncology
Targeted cancer therapy
This article was written by: Alaa Khalid Said, BS Pharm, PharmD. Senior oncology pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacy Department, Tanta Oncology Center. OVERVIEW ㅡ A new generation of cancer treatment has come to the forefront called targeted cancer therapies. Like conventional chemotherapy, targeted cancer therapies use pharmacolog…
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Oncology
Introduction of chemotherapy
This article was written by: Alaa Khalid Said, BS Pharm, PharmD. Senior oncology pharmacist, Clinical Pharmacy Department, Tanta Oncology Center. OVERVIEW ㅡ Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. It usually works by keeping the cancer cells from growing, dividing, and making more cells. As cancer cel…
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Oncology
Using DOACs for venous thromboembolism due to cancer
As a clinical pharmacist, you'll continue to see a shift toward direct oral anticoagulants ( Eliquis , etc) for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE). We're used to seeing these patients on a low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), such as enoxaparin ( Clexane ) or warfarin ( Marevan ) as an alternative. But evidence with DOACs is stacking up for VTE du…
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Oncology
Improving COLON CANCER screening
As a pharmacist, you'll see more emphasis on improving colon cancer screening, since only 65% of eligible adults have been screened as recommended. A lot of this is being driven by quality measures. More health systems and physicians will be evaluated on what proportion of their eligible patients are current with screening. Your patients and colleagues will need …
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