Presentation and treatment of aggressive, Triple-Negative carcinosarcoma of the breast.

An extremely rare form of breast cancer, breast carcinosarcoma accounts for less than a percent of all breast malignancies and is highly aggressive. Composed of both cancerous epithelial and mesenchymal cell types, breast carcinosarcoma is associated with a poor prognosis compared to more common breast cancers, and typically lack the receptors typical of other breast carcinomas, which minimize potential targets for treatment. In this case report, we discuss a 56-year-old patient affected by carcinosarcoma of the breast at a T2N1 stage, and the decision-making process that factored into her treatment plan.

Utilization of Pharmaceutical Patient and Prescription Assistance Programs via a Pharmacy Department Patient Assistance Program for Indigent Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: With the advances in cancer treatments, mortality rates in the United States have been consistently falling but they are accompanied by substantial increases in the cost of cancer care. Patient and prescription assistance programs (PPAPs) are offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide free medications to medically indigent patients. To assist the Cancer Care Center (CCC) at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) with drug costs for chemotherapies, the pharmacy department uses a patient assistance program (PAP) to obtain medications from the drug companies at no cost. PURPOSE: This study evaluates the impact of the PAP at a public hospital from which indigent cancer patients obtain assistance for chemotherapy. METHODS: We followed all patients requiring assistance with chemotherapy who enrolled in the PAP from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2012. Medications included both oral and parenteral chemotherapy drugs and antiemetics used in the outpatient clinic setting. RESULTS: The program served 347 patients in 2011 and 579 patients in 2012. The total number of visits in the clinic over 24 months was 9,405. The total cost savings of the medications was $1,066,000 in 2011 and $1,715,538 in 2012. CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacy-based PAP to procure free medications from PPAPs for cancer patients has helped to defray the expense of providing care at NUMC, increased patients' compliance with chemo protocols, and allowed many patients to receive the treatment they otherwise would not be able to afford. The combination of PPAPs and PAP provides a safety net to ensure that indigent cancer patients receive needed prescription medications in the outpatient clinic setting.

Use of a Prescription-Assistance Program for Medically Uninsured Patients With Cancer: Case Study of a Public Hospital Experience in New York State.

PURPOSE: With the advances in early detection, prevention, and treatment of some cancers, mortality rates in the United States have been consistently falling. However, with these successes have come substantial increases in the cost of cancer care. Antineoplastics are the leading class in hospital drug expenditures. Cancer treatments are causing a serious financial burden for patients, families, hospitals, and society at large, especially for those who are uninsured. Prescription assistance programs (PAPs) are offered by pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide medications at no out-of-pocket cost to medically indigent patients. To assist the Cancer Care Center at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) with drug costs for chemotherapies, a clinical pharmacist-managed PAP was implemented to procure chemotherapy medications from pharmaceutical manufacturers. NUMC is a safety-net teaching hospital in suburban New York. It serves mostly an indigent population, and its Level I trauma center has more than 77,000 emergency department visits per year. METHODS: We observed all patients requiring assistance with chemotherapy who enrolled in PAPs from January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2012. The total number of visits in the clinic over 24 months was 9,405. Individuals potentially eligible for the PAP were identified by oncologists. Patients received a referral to the PAP when they mentioned to office personnel that they had difficulty obtaining medications or expressed financial concerns related to management. RESULTS: The clinical pharmacist spent the majority of his time assisting uninsured individuals, working with charity pools from the drug manufacturers, and obtaining medications through the PAP. The program served 341 patients in 2011 and 579 patients in 2012. Medications obtained for these patients included both oral and parenteral chemotherapy drugs and antiemetics. The total cost savings of the medications was $908,944.11 in 2011 and $1,715,538.37 in 2012. In 2012, a total of 783 prescriptions were processed, and 775 were approved by the manufacturers (98.9%). CONCLUSION: PAPs provide a valuable safety net to ensure that uninsured patients with cancer receive needed prescription medications. The rising cost of health care and the high proportion of indigent patients have financially burdened the hospital. For the pharmacy department, this has resulted in a lack of compensation for pharmaceuticals dispensed to indigent patients. A pharmacy-based program to procure free medications for uninsured patients with cancer has helped to defray the expenses of the Cancer Care Center in providing care at NUMC, increased patient compliance with chemotherapy protocols, and allowed many patients to receive the treatments they otherwise would not have been able to afford.

Lung Cancer Screening for the Poor and Underserved: Should Routine Screening be Performed?

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in United States. A recent study using low dose CT scans for screening long term smokers for lung cancer has, for the first time, demonstrated reduction in mortality, although it is not a standard of care in the community yet. METHOD: We analyzed lung cancer data for stages 0 through 4 for 1,412 individuals from, a public hospital, Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) with patients of lower income, two private hospitals, North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) and Long Island Jewish Hospital (LIJ), with patients of higher income, with average household income per year of 83,795 $, 152,777 $ and 93,234 $ respectively. RESULT: Significantly smaller percentages of patients were diagnosed with stages 0 and 1 lung cancer at NUMC (8.55%) versus either NSUH (36.18%, P < 0.001) or LIJ (35.70%, (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: At this point there is evidence that Lung Cancer Screening reduces mortality in long term smokers, but there is debate over, if it should be made into a recommendation. In light of the above study we suggest, that screening for lower socioeconomic class, could be recommended, if not for general population.