April 2012, Vol 5, No 2

Pharmacists and their support staff make the world go round, at least my world outside of the hospital. They are the ones who tell me which pills and injections to take, and when. They put the labels on the orangish pill bottles with the white safety caps that serve as a back-up to their written and spoken instructions. In short, I consider them and the prescriptions they fill as a kind of lifeline between my inpatient and outpatient lives.

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According to 2 large breast cancer trials, CYP2D6 genotyping was not predictive of the effectiveness of tamoxifen in postmenopausal women. Thus, the results of these studies are not generalizable to premenopausal women. CYP2D6 genotyping has been a focus of research interest, but studies have been inconclusive as to the value of testing. Read More ›

The term “chemo brain” was coined to describe mild cognitive problems in cancer patients attributed to chemotherapy. Although minor chemotherapy-induced memory and cognitive impairments have been described previously, a case-cohort study suggests that these effects can persist more than 20 years posttherapy. The authors state that chemo brain effects are subtle compared with women who never had chemotherapy, but it’s possible that these effects place people at greater risk for cognitive decline associated with aging. Read More ›

“Chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting (CINV) remains a concern despite recent advances. While the 5-HT₃ antagonists and the NK-1 antagonists reduce vomiting, nausea continues to be a persistent problem for our patients,” she said. “There will always be patients, no matter what we do, who still have problems.” Patient risk factors drive the choice of prophylaxis and dose, she said. Young age ( Read More ›