Oncology

Oncology pharmacist discusses recent clinical trial data and what it could mean for patient outcomes.

A strong theme of recent conferences was the push for greater awareness of pharmacists' roles in patient advocacy and patient education.

Some common questions for oncology pharmacists are about concurrent use of complementary and alternative medicine supplements and natural products.

Clinical trial findings show that olaparib, given in the neoadjuvant setting, was feasible with 100% of participants able to receive the planned 2 cycles.

Factors (comorbidities, social factors) can largely affect the success of therapies in daily practice, despite findings observed in clinical trials.

And whatever specialty the student or resident decides on, it does not have to define the rest of their career.

Creating a safe environment for LGBTQ+ patients through the use of trauma informed care is critical to ensuring they feel comfortable returning to the clinic in the future.

There has been a historical lack of complete or appropriate data on sexual and gender minority groups, leading to difficulties in analyzing health outcomes in LGBTQ+ community.

Despite the potential for clinical benefit, triplet therapies have added complexities, monitoring needs, toxicities, and costs associated with additional pharmacologic therapy.

Pharmacists have an important role in helping patients to identify treatment-related toxicities and manage symptoms to help the transition to the outpatient setting.

Expert notes significant advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma, large B cell lymphomas, and acute myeloid leukemia, during a presentation at HOPA 2023 Annual Conference.

The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) created committees, inclusion statements, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) checkpoints to improve healthcare for underserved or historically less included populations.

Before tapering patients treated for cancer off of opioids, care providers should first establish what the goals of tapering are.

The data underscore the need for biomarker testing to identify patients who may be eligible for this therapy, according to physician from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Certain populations have been found to have differing prognoses, such as African American patients, who have an earlier onset of disease with a higher likelihood of an aggressive tumor type and shorter survival.

Experts note that pharmacists are well positioned to play a key role in precision oncology and molecular tumor boards.

Historically, there are many hard-to-treat mutations of non-small cell lung cancer.

President (2022 to 2023) of the Hematology Oncology Pharmacists Association (HOPA) highlights the many ways that hematology/oncology pharmacists can collaborate with care teams to improve access to care at HOPA Annual Conference 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona from March 29 to April 1.

Follow Pharmacy Times®’ live coverage of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona from March 29 to April 1, 2023.

Improvements in progression-free survival were seen in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma regardless of mismatch repair status.

Ribociclib plus endocrine therapy demonstrates a reduction in the risk of disease recurrence in patients with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer.

Key lifestyle risk factors for chronic diseases and cancers include tobacco use, poor nutrition, lack of physical movement, and obesity.

Akram Hussein, PharmD, MBA, BCNP, discusses the treatment process when treating a patient with prostate cancer with a radiopharmaceutical.

Axicabtagene ciloleucel demonstrated a 2.5-fold increase in individuals with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma who were alive at 2 years and did not experience either cancer progression or require the need for additional cancer treatment.

Although community oncology has grown, maintaining services for patients is an ongoing challenge.

Presenter at the 2023 Community Oncology Alliance meeting notes that oncology has become more of a duality between molecular and genetic subsets, leading to huge developments in targeted and personalized care.

In addition to improving working conditions for current employees, burnout must be addressed in order to recruit and retain new employees and alleviate understaffing.

Since 2014, 10 immunotherapies have been approved by the FDA, including 6 CAR T-cell therapies and 4 BiTE therapies.