Pharmaceutical consultation to detect drug interactions in patients treated with oral chemotherapies: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The development of oral chemotherapy (OC) has led to the recent establishment of multidisciplinary programmes involving pharmacists. We evaluated the utility of our local programme for detecting potential interactions with OCs, particularly drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and herbal-drug interactions (HDIs). METHODS: We performed a single-centre retrospective descriptive study of patients on OC attending a pharmaceutical consultation (PC) during a seven-month period. These consultations included the use of various complementary tools/databases to search for interactions. RESULTS: We analysed 308 treatments taken by 42 consecutive patients. Fifty-four potential interactions with OCs were detected in 26% (n = 79) of the treatments taken by patients: 46 DDIs (32 minor, 12 major, 2 contraindicated) and eight HDIs. Five interventions associated with interactions were suggested by pharmacists during the consultations (4 were taken into account by oncologists). The total mean time spent on each PC for an individual patient was 80 minutes (36 minutes of preparation, 44 minutes with the patient). CONCLUSION: This pilot study highlights the importance of studying interactions in such patients, and of the expertise of pharmacists for detecting interactions, which were found in more than one in four treatment lines. The further development of such activities, which already take up considerable amounts of time, is therefore warranted.

Safety and efficacy of 2-weekly cabazitaxel in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a 2-weekly cabazitaxel schedule in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the period October 2013 to February 2016, 43 patients with mCRPC were treated with cabazitaxel (16 mg/m2 , on days 1 and 15 of a 4-week cycle) together with prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). The safety profile and efficacy (prostate-specific antigen [PSA] response; biological, clinical or radiological progression-free survival [PFS] and overall survival [OS]) of the treatment were analysed. RESULTS: All patients had received prior docetaxel and 79.1% abiraterone acetate. At inclusion, 46.5% were aged >70 years and 27.9% had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≥2. Six patients stopped treatment because of toxicity. Grade ≥3 toxicities were: asthenia (16.3%); neutropenia (11.6%); thrombocytopenia (9.3%); diarrhoea (7%), anaemia (4.7%), febrile neutropenia (4.7%) and haematuria (2.3%). In all, 52.4% achieved a ≥30% PSA response and 40.5% had a ≥50% PSA response. The median OS was 15.2 months. CONCLUSION: This prospective pilot study suggests that cabazitaxel 16 mg/m² given 2-weekly has a manageable toxicity profile in docetaxel- and abiraterone acetate-pretreated patients with mCRPC. A prospective phase III trial comparing this regimen with the standard cabazitaxel regimen is planned to confirm these results.

[Robotic production of injectable anticancer drugs in hospital pharmacies]. / Production robotisée des préparations d'anticancéreux injectables en pharmacie hospitalière.

INTRODUCTION: Following the 2005 decree on securing the medicine supply chain, the production of "chemotherapies", anticancer drugs (cytotoxic, cytostatic, immunotherapy), was centralised within hospital pharmacies. To cope with increasingly growing activities, pharmacies are moving towards robotisation. This work offers feedback from four French sites pioneers in robotic production. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A review of the literature was carried out on the PubMed and Google Scholar scientific databases and GERPAC publications relating to the robotic production of chemotherapy preparations. This review allowed to select 25 articles. RESULTS: The robotisation of the production of "chemotherapies" requires infrastructural prerequisites, a reengineering of the manufacturing process and the patient journey. This impacts all the parties involved in this complex process. The "cobotisation" concept or collaborative robotics must be anticipated by the teams. Robotisation is an institutional decision, which must be owned by the pharmaceutical team and endorsed by the medical team and management. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: For reasons of optimisation, safeguarding and management of human resources, a large number of centres get equipped with robotic systems. Robotic preparation should extend to other non-hazardous preparation, as it is already the case in other countries. This strategic view should be carried out today to anticipate problems, ensure safety and improve the healthcare quality.

Ifosfamide nephrotoxicity in adult patients.

BACKGROUND: Ifosfamide, a widely prescribed antineoplasic agent, is frequently associated with kidney dysfunction. Its nephrotoxicity is well documented in children, but data are lacking in adult patients. METHODS: The aim of this retrospective study was to describe the clinical, biological and histological characteristics of ifosfamide nephrotoxicity. RESULTS: We report 34 patients (median age: 41 years) admitted in six French nephrology departments for kidney failure and/or tubular dysfunction. Fifteen patients (44.1%) received cisplatin as part of their chemotherapy. In 6 patients (17.7%), ifosfamide nephrotoxicity was revealed by a proximal tubular dysfunction (PTD), in 5 patients (14.4%) by an acute kidney injury (AKI), in 6 patients (17.7%) by a chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in 17 patients (49.7%) by an association of PTD and AKI. Fourteen renal biopsies (41.2%) were performed and revealed acute tubular necrosis (85.7%), vacuolation (78.6%) and nuclear atypias (71.4%) of renal epithelial cells, interstitial inflammation (71.4%) and fibrosis (57.1%). Electron microscopy showed mitochondrial enlargement and dysmorphic changes suggestive of mitochondrial toxicity. Ten patients (29.4%) progressed to Stage 5 CKD, six (17.6%) required haemodialysis and six patients died during a median follow-up period of 31 months. Risk factors for Stage 5 CKD were age and cisplatin co-administration.

Optimal cut-off for neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio: Fact or Fantasy? A prospective cohort study in metastatic cancer patients.

This study assessed the prognostic value of pre-treatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with metastatic solid tumors. Clinical and biological data for patients with metastatic solid tumors treated in an oncology outpatient department and prospectively followed by a call center (PROCHE program) between January 2008 and December 2011 were analyzed. All patients with an NLR value within 28 days before the first cycle of first-line of chemotherapy were included (cohort 1). To assess influence of chemotherapy line on NLR prognostic value, data from patients treated with later chemotherapy lines were also analyzed (cohort 2). Adjusted multivariate Cox regressions with or without non-linear and time-dependent effects were performed. Optimal NLR cut-off was investigated by time-dependent sensitivity analysis using several indices. There were 317 and 134 patients in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. Elevated NLR was associated with worse survival (hazard ratio [HR] for death, 1.35 [95% confidence interval 1.19-1.54]; p<0.0001). The optimal NLR cut-off in cohort 1 was dependent on index used and time of assessment: HR values were non-significant at a cut-off of 3.0 (1.34 [0.99-1.32], but significant when the cut-off was 4.0 (1.53 [1.11-2.10]). NLR was linearly related to mortality risk; in subgroup analysis, no significant interaction was found with co-variables or tumor localization overall (cohorts 1+2). Pre-treatment NLR is a useful prognostic tool in patients with metastatic solid tumors, irrespective of primary tumor site, chemotherapy line, age, gender and performance status. However, using an NLR cut-off value for clinical decision-making requires extreme caution.

A practical approach to improve safety and management in chemotherapy units based on the PROCHE - programme for optimisation of the chemotherapy network monitoring program.

The PROCHE (PRogramme d'Optimisation du circuit CHimiothErapie [Programme for optimisation of the chemotherapy network]) initiative is an innovative oncology-monitoring program designed to reduce patient waiting time and chemotherapy wastage, ultimately improving patient care. Laboratory test results and side effects data were collected for patients in the PROCHE monitoring program group 2d prior to scheduled chemotherapy visits, allowing oncologists to confirm or delay each patient's chemotherapy. Data from 1037 patients entered in the PROCHE program were compared with 513 control patients, who had been treated according to previous typical hospital procedures. Results demonstrated significant reductions in mean hospital stay i.e. decreased it by 66 min and drug wastage decreased from 6% to 2% (95% CI (confidence interval) 0.21-0.59, P<0.0001), and a significant increase in bed occupancy rates with the PROCHE initiative (all P<0.0001 vs. controls). The incidence of pain and severity of fatigue were also reduced. In conclusion, the PROCHE initiative resulted in improved patient quality of care and reduced chemotherapy toxicities, and improved hospital and pharmacy productivity. These encouraging preliminary results warrant further study.