Mandatory dexamethasone strictly monitored by pharmacists reduces the severity of pemetrexed-induced skin rash.
Eur J Hosp Pharm
; 24(5): 283-285, 2017 Sep.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29308196
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The present study aimed to retrospectively examine the effectiveness of mandatory dexamethasone (m-DEX) strictly monitored by pharmacists collaborating with medical physicians and nurses for reducing pemetrexed (PEM)-induced skin rash in patients with non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer (ns-NSCLC).METHODS:
We compared the rash grades during the first cycle of PEM-containing regimens between patients who received m-DEX after February 2012 and those who received dexamethasone (DEX) at their physician's discretion (d-DEX) before January 2012.RESULTS:
Of 163 patients with ns-NSCLC included in this study, 89 received d-DEX and 74 received m-DEX. The mean DEX doses the night before and the day after PEM administration were significantly higher in the m-DEX group than in the d-DEX group. The frequency of grade ≥2 skin rash was significantly lower in the m-DEX group than in the d-DEX group.CONCLUSIONS:
The use of m-DEX strictly monitored by pharmacists might significantly reduce the severity of PEM-induced skin rash.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur J Hosp Pharm
Year:
2017
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: