November 2020

In a live 2020 Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® conference session, the presenter provided an update on the management of cervical and endometrial cancers.

In a live 2020 Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® conference session, an update on research in the past decade that has led to improvements in the diagnosis, risk stratification, prevention, and treatment of acute graft-versus-host disease was provided.

Three monoclonal antibodies, 1 antibody-drug conjugate, and 1 nuclear export inhibitor have been approved by the FDA for relapsed/refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma in the past 4 years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated both acceptance and payment of novel care delivery models including telehealth.

A live 2020 Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® conference session emphasized pharmacist involvement in optimizing therapy with BTK inhibitors.

Advances in biotechnology have improved the production and recombination of antibodies, leading to improvements in monoclonal antibody therapies.

Counseling patients on possible adverse effects that impact skin health can help patients prepare for serious or cosmetic impacts.

The specialty drug pipeline is coming off a strong year, and the oncology pipeline has a wealth of potential oncolytics.

Targeted therapies often have better toxicity profiles, allowing patients to remain adherent and stay on medications longer.

Patients with relapsed/refractory leukemia and lymphomas generally have a grim prognosis, which has paved the way for immunotherapy treatments.

How has COVID-19 impacted our professional lives in providing care to patients with cancer, who are at even greater risk of contracting the virus and more likely to have higher morbidity and mortality should they be infected?

Pharmacists can play an integral role in educating patients with breast cancer to improve health outcomes.

A recent poll showed that more than 1 in 8 Americans engaged in a video consult with a health care professional in recent months.

Although ICIs have demonstrated excellent efficacy, they also have been associated with unique irAEs.

This activity is supported by educational grants from Dova Pharmaceuticals, INC. and Cure Media Group.

This month, Directions in Oncology Pharmacy® highlights a variety of ways that cancer care treatments are evolving, along with how practices are evolving, including best practices for the safety of health care workers such as oncology pharmacists.

By supplying proper PPE and infrastructure, health systems can keep workers safe and provide excellent patient care.

The series concludes looking at the proposition that patients with rare and devastating disorders require and deserve a higher acuity of care and service that only an accredited rare pharmacy can deliver.

Prescriptions for evidence-based cancer drugs increased under a pay-for-performance program without significantly impacting cost of care.