In this month’s issue of The Oncology Pharmacist, we present our coverage from the 2013 annual meetings of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Our MASCC highlights include updates about treatment to help manage oral mucositis and opioid-induced constipation as well as information about a nutritional supplement that may lower prostate-specific antigen levels. We also tell you about the latest news regarding tamoxifen and SSRIs. Our news from ASCO includes coverage about abiraterone and enzalutamide for treating patients with prostate cancer.
Be sure to read The Patient’s Voice column by MMA. She gives us the patient’s point of view about our profession, and it is not all good. She notes that an oncology pharmacist at the cancer center where she has been treated told her, “There are retail and research pharmacists. Obviously, research requires higher qualifications.” Because of her experiences as a cancer patient, she has difficulty trusting some of the information she is given. How can we help build trust with patients like MMA? This is the topic of our new reader poll (see below).
Please visit our website, www.TheOncologyPharmacist.com. Participate in our reader poll and let us know what you think.