TOP - February 2015, Vol 8, No 1

In its eighth year, The Oncology Pharmacist (TOP) will continue to provide oncology pharmacists and their colleagues with the latest research findings and results of large clinical trials, interviews with thought leaders, as well as content for pharmacy students and residents, and articles on practice management.

St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System was established through a joint operating agreement between 2 religious institutions—St. Joseph’s, a Catholic hospital, and Candler, a Methodist hospital. It is the only faith-based healthcare system in southeast Georgia.

Because of the complexity of biosimilar regulations, a pharmaceutical and therapeutics committee—which includes pharmacists and physicians—is recommended to determine appropriate biosimilar use...

The expanding availability of oral drugs for the treatment of a number of tumor types has increased their use as chemotherapy.

The annual meetings of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) took place in December 2014, attracting US and international oncologists interested in the latest research on basic science and clinical medicine. These are a selection of highlights from these meetings.

Two programmed cell death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitors—the investigational drug nivo­lumab and the recently approved pem­bro­lizumab (Keytruda)—produced dramatic responses in patients with Hodg­kin lymphoma in phase 1 clinical trials.

The Third Annual World Cutaneous Malignancies Congress (WCMC) took place in San Francisco, CA, on October 30-31, 2014.

The results of a phase 1b study of the combination of venetoclax plus rituximab (Rituxan) showed encouraging safety and excellent activity in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Why is financial planning important? The term financial planning can be used to illustrate many things. It can be a comprehensive plan, focusing on several needs or goals simultaneously, or limited to specific areas such as establishing a budget, or saving for a home, a child’s education, or retirement.