TOP - May 2013, Vol 6, No 2

The Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC) at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated clinical cancer center. The center, founded in 1991, received the NCI designation in 1996, confirming KCC’s position as a leader in treatment, research, and education.

This is the first in a series of articles that will discuss issues related to hazardous materials in the workplace.

Hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR), also known as hand-foot syndrome or palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE), is an adverse effect of several chemotherapeutic agents.

The annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) focuses on preliminary studies with promising findings for the treatment of cancer. This year’s conference was held in Washington, DC, from April 6-10, 2013

Systematic application of oncology clinical pathways can reduce variation in cancer disease management and result in significant overall savings, said Jim Koeller, MS, at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association 9th Annual Conference

Pharmacists can play a role in overcoming patients’ financial and personal obstacles to oral chemotherapy.

Extremely high levels of methotrexate can lead to precipitation of the drug in the renal tubules, delayed drug clearance, and the potential for acute renal failure.

About 3% to 5% of the general population is believed to have a mutation in the gene that encodes a major 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) metabolizing enzyme.

The clinical response to regorafenib does not depend on tumor mutations. Among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who participated in the phase 3 CORRECT (Colorectal Cancer Treated With Regorafenib or Placebo After Failure of Standard Therapy) study, an analysis of tumor specimens for KRAS and PIK3CA mutations did not predict clinical benefit in the patients assigned to regorafenib compared with placebo, said Michael Jeffers, PhD. He presented the results of the study at the 2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

This issue of The Oncology Pharmacist (TOP) offers the first in a series of articles about oncology pharmacy safety and issues related to hazardous materials in the workplace.