Among the various types of treatment that a patient with cancer may undergo, chemotherapy is associated with the greatest concerns with respect to side effects. Although patients may comprehend the importance of receiving chemotherapy as a key component of their treatment plan, the fear of adverse events (AEs) is always foremost on their minds.

It is inevitable that patients with cancer will experience some side effects associated with treatment. Recommendations for managing and minimizing these complications are critical to patients’ well-being and can impact overall clinical outcomes.

As an oncology pharmacist in an ambulatory cancer clinic, in the course of a typical week, it is not unusual for me to counsel 25 to 30 new patients on chemotherapy regimens that they are about to receive (paying particular attention to adverse events [AEs]), and to be directly involved in the monitoring and management of countless other patients who present with side effects associated with their treatments.