Hematology Malignancy Pharmacy Team
Advanced Knowledge and Experience in Managing Cancers of the Blood
Patients with cancers of the blood can have various and complex medication needs. To achieve the best possible results, an experienced team of knowledgeable experts is essential to effectively manage each patient’s unique disorder.
The compassionate team of oncology specialists at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center includes a pharmacist with detailed knowledge and experience in pharmaceutical therapies for cancers of the blood. The pharmacist is assigned exclusively to UH Seidman Cancer Center and is focused on providing supportive medications for patients with hematologic malignancies such as leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma.
Ensuring Safety and Effectiveness
The pharmacist performs a variety of tasks for both the patient's care team and the patient and family directly. Such tasks include:
- Seeing patients with the care team daily
- Consulting colleagues on medication choices and dosages
- Preventing adverse drug reactions and interactions
- Counseling patients and families
- Monitoring drug therapy related to clinical trials
Reliable pharmacological support for blood cancer patients is especially important, especially during bone marrow transplantation. It is not unusual for 30 or more different drugs to be involved.
With decades of experience specific to blood cancer and bone marrow transplantation, the pharmacist brings special insight to the team and acts as an important guide for the patient facing cancer therapy.
The pharmacist helps families understand the details related to each course of treatment and what side effects might be expected at each stage. With the pharmacist’s depth of experience, patients have access to very detailed counseling, including what to expect on a day-to-day basis.
The pharmacist is a key source of information for the patient and family as treatment moves forward. Knowing what to expect throughout the process helps alleviate some of the stress involved in drug therapy and puts patients more at ease.
Commitment to Continuity in Care for Hematologic Cancers
The collaborative, cooperative approach at UH Seidman Cancer Center is designed to ensure that all care team members have the latest, most complete information needed to make the best decisions at each stage of treatment. Our dedicated pharmacist plays a large role in that commitment to continuity in cancer care.
Because hematologic cancer patients are often in the hospital for long periods, they may see many different specialists, including fellows and residents participating in their care for shorter amounts of time.
As a foundational member of the patient’s care team, the pharmacist has the advanced, detailed knowledge of each patient’s unique challenges. The pharmacist's high level of involvement ensures that each team member has access to the most up-to-date and accurate information on each patient's medications.
Guiding Clinical Trial Management
The pharmacist also plays a key role in managing ongoing clinical trials designed to test new drug regimens. In hematologic malignancy trials, he helps ensure that the drugs are administered safely and according to the specifications of the study. This extra level of quality assurance helps to guarantee accuracy in the trial data. The more accurate the data, the more useful it is to the researchers involved.