Communication is ‘Paramount’ in Managing Chemotherapy Shortage

Commentary
Video

Recommendations penned by the American Society of Clinical Oncology and Society for Gynecologic Oncology may be critical in managing the ongoing chemotherapy shortage, according to Michael Ganio, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FASHP.

In an interview with CancerNetwork®, Michael Ganio, PharmD, MS, BCPS, FASHP, emphasized the critical role communication plays in managing the ongoing shortage of chemotherapy agents in the United States, including every member of clinical teams and even bringing patients into the conversation.1

Ganio, senior director of Pharmacy Practice and Quality at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, gave advice to practitioners on engaging with nurses, pharmacists, and others within their organizations to ensure that chemotherapy agents are being properly administered to patients. He also encourages reading recommendations from key organizations and institutions such as the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society for Gynecologic Oncology.

Transcript:

Keep an eye on professional organization websites. For example, ASCO1 has put out some recommendations, as has the SGO,2 on managing the shortages and helping to find ways for clinicians to prioritize which treatments should go to which patients. Engage all the disciplines in your organization, including your ethics committee if you have one, your pharmacists, nurses, and anyone else who's administering medications. They might be administering something they're a little less familiar with.

Make sure every member of the health care team is engaged. Include your informatics team, too. Changing the way regimens might be built in whatever electronic health record is being used is important, too, to prevent errors. We're talking high-risk medications as far as dosing. Most chemotherapy [agents are] considered high risk, so making sure the dose is correct, the patient gets the right medication, and the medication goes to the right patient [is important]. There are a couple of different layers where there can be errors, and [there are] dire consequences with chemotherapy, so communication is paramount.

Involve the patient in that conversation, too. It seems obvious, but I think we sometimes take for granted that managing a shortage without even telling a patient; they may get a different antibiotic without even knowing and it [may be] second line. Patients in this instance have the absolute right to know, and they should be aware that these shortages exist. And every member of the team, including the patient, should know that there are some discussions in Congress right now to try to address the problem.

Reach out to your representatives, and make sure that they know that this is having a real-world impact so that we can bring them into these shortages.

References

  1. Clinical guidance. American Society of Clinical Oncology. Accessed July 26, 2023. https://shorturl.at/hNUVY
  2. SGO statement: carboplatin and cisplatin shortages. News release. Society of Gynecologic Oncology. April 21, 2023. Accessed July 26, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/y3dcmdk4
Related Videos
Cretostimogene grenadenorepvec’s efficacy compares favorably with the current nonsurgical standards of care in high-risk, Bacillus Calmette Guerin–unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Artificial intelligence models may be “seamlessly incorporated” into clinical workflow in the management of prostate cancer, says Eric Li, MD.
Robust genetic testing guidelines in the prostate cancer space must be supported by strong clinical research before they can be properly implemented, says William J. Catalona, MD.
Treatment with tisotumab vedotin may be a standard of care in second- or third-line recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, says Brian Slomovitz, MD, MS, FACOG.
The difference in adverse effect profiles between sorafenib and nirogacestat may make one treatment more appealing than the other for certain patients with desmoid tumors, says Brian Van Tine, MD, PhD.
The Epione robot eliminates the need for multiple check scans during surgery by allowing physicians to target a tumor with a single button press, according to Govindarajan Narayanan, MD.
The Epione robot may help less experienced surgeons carry out complex cases with a high level of accuracy, says Govindarajan Narayanan, MD.
Domenica Lorusso, MD, PhD, says that paying attention to the quality of chemoradiotherapy is imperative to feeling confident about the potential addition of pembrolizumab for locally advanced cervical cancer.
Cell therapy and vaccine approaches are among the several potential options for targeting KRAS in patients with KRAS G12C–mutated non–small cell lung cancer, says Sandip P. Patel, MD.
Related Content