Articles
NEW ORLEANS—A retrospective analysis of healthcare resource utilization for patients with ovarian cancer receiving intraperitoneal (IP) cisplatin chemotherapy identified a trend toward more hospital readmissions for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) among patients receiving ondansetron prophylaxis, as compared with palo nosetron.
The study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston was presented by Ann McDonnell, PharmD, BCOP.
Read More ›NEW ORLEANS—Implementation of an explicit order form for darbepoetin alfa significantly improved compliance with current guidelines and led to large cost savings, California pharmacists report.
Read More ›NEW ORLEANS—Oncology pharmacists can save their institutions thousands of dollars annually by reducing chemotherapy waste, according to the experience of the Veterans Affairs’ North Texas Health Care System in Dallas. Sarah Gressett Ussery, PharmD, described her institution’s chemotherapy monitoring and management.
Read More ›NEW ORLEANS—The use of standardized pediatric chemotherapy forms can improve safety by creating a consistent and streamlined method of ordering Children’s Oncology Group (COG) trial protocols and regimens, according to investigators from Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
Read More ›SAN ANTONIO—Interim analysis of a large trial of women treated with trastuzumab for human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2)+ breast cancer before or after surgery indicates that concurrent use with a taxane may improve overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) compared with sequential administration. Previous trials have shown a large benefit of trastuzumab but left open the question of the optimal timing of its use. (See, eg, the HERA trial: Piccart-Gebhart MJ. N Engl J Med. 2005;353:1659-1672.)
Read More ›Three new drugs are in the pipeline to treat human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) type 2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Two appear to have the potential to provide incremental gains, and one looks like a game changer.
Read More ›Characterized by thrombocytopenia and bleeding manifestations, particularly mucocutaneous, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder seen in both adults and children. Although the majority of ITP cases in children are considered acute and typically resolve within 6 months often without therapy, adult ITP is generally chronic and requires therapeutic interventions to raise platelet counts.1
Read More ›April 2010 was the second National Safe Handling Month, a campaign designed to further education about the risks associated with handling hazardous drugs and safety measures that can prevent exposure to these agents. The initiative was supported by an unrestricted educational grant provided by Carmel Pharma, Inc, the maker of the PhaSeal closed-system drug transfer device (CSTD) and included regional and national educational activities. Read More ›
CEP17 Breast Cancer Tumors Are More Likely to Respond to Anthracyclines
BARCELONA—Breast cancer patients with the chromosome enumeration probe 17 (CEP17) alpha satellite abnormality are more likely to have good outcomes from chemotherapy involving anthracycline antibiotics than women without the abnormality, according to new data released at the Seventh European Breast Cancer Conference.
Read More ›President Obama guaranteed Americans that after health reform became law they could keep their insurance plans and their doctors. It’s clear that this promise cannot be kept. Insurers and physicians are already reshaping their businesses as a result of Mr. Obama’s plan.
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