March 2013, Vol 4, No 3

Background: Although information about quality care is increasingly available, there remains a gap in knowledge regarding stakeholders’ perceptions of quality cancer care. It is important to maintain high quality of patient care, but perspectives of quality may differ by stakeholder.

Background: Electrolyte abnormalities are the most common laboratory findings in patients with malignancies. Clinical manifestations of several electrolyte deficiencies occur with frequency in malignancy (Hawthorne JL, Schneider SM, Workman ML). Patients who are admitted for chemotherapy regimens as well as for complications post chemo receive electrolyte replacements on a daily basis. Experience has shown consistent patient and staff nurse dissatisfaction with the current replacement protocol.

Background: Two oral agents for mCRPC patients who previously received docetaxel were recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration—abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (AA+p) and enzulatamide (EN). Phase 3 studies in this population showed median treatment duration of 8 months for AA+p1 and 8.3 months for EN,2 while median survival was 15.81 months and 18.42 months, respectively. The budgetary impact of these products to payers depends, in part, upon real world treatment duration and the proportion of mCRPC patients utilizing each product.

Background: In an era of multiple effective treatment options for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM), a recent meta-analysis has shown that retreatment with bortezomib continues to be an effective option in previously treated patients who relapsed.

Background: The introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) into clinical practice resulted in a very dramatic prolongation of survival for most, but not all patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase. If properly managed, and if adherence is greater than 80%, the 10-year survival rate reaches 85% for patients treated with the 1st-generation (Gen) TKI, imatinib (Gleevec).

Background: Breast Care at IU Health North Hospital is a multidisciplinary clinic comprised of breast surgeons, medical and radiation oncologists, plastic surgeons and geneticists. It has consistently achieved excellent patient satisfaction scores; however, one area needing improvement was in office wait time.

Background: Chemotherapy and radiation therapy, the mainstays of current cancer treatment, often result in devastating side effects involving the oral cavity. Mucositis, an inflammatory and/or ulcerative lesion of the oral and/or gastrointestinal tract is a common therapy-related toxicity. Mucositis significantly impacts patients’ overall physical and functional well-being, as well as quality of life. There is strong evidence suggesting that the implementation of preventive strategy, such as patient and family education on the importance of oral hygiene practices, can lower the incidence of mucositis.

Background: Eribulin mesylate (EM) is a microtubule inhibitor shown to improve survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) who have previously received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease.

EM is a microtubule inhibitor shown to improve overall survival in metastatic breast cancer patients who have previously received at least two chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of metastatic disease. There are side effects of EM, including neutropenia, anemia, asthenia/fatigue, alopecia, peripheral neuropathy, nausea, and constipation.

Background: Racial disparities in clinical outcomes between Caucasian and African American (AA) MBC patients have been identified. Some of these disparities may be attributed to differences in toxicities and access to supportive care interventions.