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Tuesday, February 25, 2014

VTE Treatment and Secondary Prevention in Cancer Patients

CancerThrombosis.org :: Treatment and Secondary Prevention

"The American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline: Recommendations for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment in patients with cancer
Key recommendations for secondary prevention of recurrent VTE19"

  • LMWH is the preferred approach for the initial 5 to 10 days of anticoagulant treatment of the cancer patient with established VTE
  • LMWH given for 6 months is also the preferred approach for long-term anticoagulant therapy. Vitamin K antagonists with a targeted INR of 2 to 3 are acceptable for long-term therapy when LMWH is not available
  • After 6 months, indefinite anticoagulant therapy should be considered for selected patients with active cancer, such as those with metastatic disease and those receiving chemotherapy
  • The insertion of a vena cava filter is only indicated for patients with contraindications to anticoagulant therapy and in those with recurrent VTE despite adequate long-term therapy with LMWH
  • For patients with CNS malignancies, anticoagulation is recommended for established VTE as described for other patients with cancer. Careful monitoring is necessary to limit the risk of hemorrhagic complications. Anticoagulation should be avoided in the presence of active intracranial bleeding, recent surgery, preexisting bleeding diathesis such as thrombocytopenia (platelet count <50 coagulopathy="" font="" l="" or="">
  • For elderly patients, anticoagulation is recommended for established VTE as described for other patients with cancer. Careful monitoring and dose adjustment is necessary to avoid excessive anticoagulation and further increase in the risk of bleeding



For full article including great summary charts and diagrams as well as other key player guidelines, click here.
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Saturday, February 22, 2014

Personalized Cancer Treament, From Just a Blood Sample

Personalized Cancer Treament, From Just a Blood Sample - The Crux | DiscoverMagazine.com:



"A technique being developed by San Diego–based Epic Sciences can determine whether a cancer patient is an appropriate candidate for a drug, and even whether the drug is losing its efficacy.

In research presented last month at the Personalized Medicine World Conference in Palo Alto, CA, Epic described how their technology can be used to reliably pick out rare cells from a blood sample. In the case of cancer, these rare, circulating tumor cells could one day tell an oncologist not only whether a patient’s cancer has returned, but also whether it’s growing resistant to the current treatment regimen—something only expensive scans and invasive biopsies can do with any accuracy today."



Read the full article here

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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Medications Can Affect Sexes Differently

English: Chemical structure of zolpidem
English: Chemical structure of zolpidem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sex matters: Drugs can affect sexes differently - CBS News:



"Ambien, Zolpidem, is now the only prescription drug in the country with a different suggested dose for men and women. But we’ve discovered it is far from an isolated example of differences between the sexes we never imagined.  More and more, scientists are realizing that the differences are dangerously understudied and that pervasively and fundamentally, sex matters.
Take aspirin. Low-dose aspirin lowers the risk of heart attacks in healthy men; but in healthy women, turns out it doesn’t though it does protect women against stroke.



And drugs are just the beginning.  Sex differences have been found in pain receptors, liver enzymes, even the wiring of the brain."



Read full article: click here
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Sunday, February 9, 2014

Could Electronically Controlled Drugs Reduce Adverse Effects? (CNET)

Could electronically controlled drugs reduce side effects? | Cutting Edge - CNET News:



In the realm of oncology this could have especially dramatic ramifications.



Excerpt:


"Reporting in the journal ACS Nano, researchers led by Dr. Xinyan Tracy Cui at the University of Pittsburgh say their new approach allows them to electronically control the release of very specific amounts of drugs to certain parts of the body. To do this, they incorporated extremely thin nanosheets of graphene oxide that were loaded with the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone into a polymer scaffold that conducts electricity. By zapping the nanosheets with an electric current, they were able to release the drug -- using the thickness of the sheets to control how much drug was being carried, and the number and magnitude of zaps to control how much of the drug was released."



Full article: click here

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About Onco-PRN

Welcome and thanks for visiting Onco-P.R.N. - The oncology website with a focus on all things oncology pharmacy/pain/palliative care-related. It is intended to be an information resource for those pharmacist and relevant health care professionals involved in whatever fashion with cancer and palliative care. Stay tuned for the latest and greatest links and information with respect to: oncology medications, continuing education, pharmaceutical care initiatives, pain and symptom control, supportive care topics, and whatever else that might fit into the theme.

*Note: This website is not affiliated with Alberta Health Services (AHS) or CAPhO and the opinions expressed herewithin are that of the author(s).

Pharmacy History

"The earliest known compilation of medicinal substances was ARIANA the Sushruta Samhita, an Indian Ayurvedic treatise attributed to Sushruta in the 6th century BC. However, the earliest text as preserved dates to the 3rd or 4th century AD.
Many Sumerian (late 6th millennium BC - early 2nd millennium BC) cuneiform clay tablets record prescriptions for medicine.[3]

Ancient Egyptian pharmacological knowledge was recorded in various papyri such as the Ebers Papyrus of 1550 BC, and the Edwin Smith Papyrus of the 16th century BC.

The earliest known Chinese manual on materia medica is the Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Herb-Root Classic), dating back to the 1st century AD. It was compiled during the Han dynasty and was attributed to the mythical Shennong. Earlier literature included lists of prescriptions for specific ailments, exemplified by a manuscript "Recipes for 52 Ailments", found in the Mawangdui tomb, sealed in 168 BC. Further details on Chinese pharmacy can be found in the Pharmacy in China article."

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmacy#History_of_pharmacy

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