At the National Cancer Centre Singapore, which is currently the largest ambulatory cancer centre in Singapore, clinical pharmacists have taken upon responsibilities to provide direct pharmaceutical care in the center’s lymphoma team since 2006. Given the complexity and intricacies of lymphoma treatments, clinical pharmacists are often positioned to ensure supportive care is optimized among these patients. Besides management of chemotherapy-related and supportive care issues, clinical pharmacists play a pivotal role in guiding cost-effective and safe prescribing. In collaboration with the medical team, they are also involved in conducting practice research in order to optimize the delivery of pharmaceutical care. In this report, the dedicated services and research activities conducted by clinical pharmacists of a lymphoma team will be discussed.
ChanAYeeGC. Lymphomas. In: DipiroJTTablertRLYeeGCMatzkeGRWellsBRPoseyLM (eds) Pharmacotherapy: a pathophysiologic approach20118th edn. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Medical, pp. 2333–2359.
2.
ScarpaceSLBrodzikFAMehdiS. Treatment of head and neck cancers: issues for clinical pharmacists. Pharmacotherapy2009; 29(5): 578–592.
3.
WuHTGraffLRYuenCW. Clinical pharmacy in an inpatient leukemia and bone marrow transplant service. Am J Health Syst Pharm2005; 62(7): 744–747.
4.
ChanALengXZChiangJY. Comparison of daily filgrastim and pegfilgrastim to prevent febrile neutropenia in Asian lymphoma patients. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol2011; 7(1): 75–81.
5.
ChanAShihVChewL. Evolving roles of oncology pharmacists in Singapore: a survey on prescribing patterns of antiemetics for chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) at a cancer centre. J Oncol Pharm Pract2008; 14(1): 23–29.
6.
ChanATanSHWongCM. Clinically significant drug-drug interactions between oral anticancer agents and nonanticancer agents: a Delphi survey of oncology pharmacists. Clin Ther2009; 31(Pt 2): 2379–2386.
7.
ChiangJChanALianT. Management of tumor lysis syndrome with a single fixed dose of rasburicase in Asian lymphoma patients: a case series and literature review. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol2011; 7(4): 351–356.
8.
ChiangJChanAShihV. A prospective study to evaluate the feasibility and economic benefits of rapid infusion rituximab at an Asian cancer center. Int J Hematol2010; 91(5): 826–830.
9.
NgJHAngXYTanSH. Breakthrough febrile neutropenia and associated complications in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients receiving pegfilgrastim. Acta Haematol2011; 125(3): 107–114.
10.
ShihVChiangJYChanA. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) usage in Singaporean adult cancer patients. Ann Oncol2009; 20(4): 752–757.
11.
YapKYKuoEYLeeJJ. An onco-informatics database for anticancer drug interactions with complementary and alternative medicines used in cancer treatment and supportive care: an overview of the OncoRx project. Support Care Cancer2010; 18(7): 883–891.
12.
PettengellRBoslyASzucsTD. Multivariate analysis of febrile neutropenia occurrence in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma: data from the INC-EU Prospective Observational European Neutropenia Study. Br J Haematol2009; 144(5): 677–685.
13.
SmithTJKhatcheressianJLymanGH. 2006 update of recommendations for the use of white blood cell growth factors: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline. J Clin Oncol2006; 24(19): 3187–3205.
CoiffierBLepageEBriereJ. CHOP chemotherapy plus rituximab compared with CHOP alone in elderly patients with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma. N Engl J Med2002; 346(4): 235–242.
16.
GutierrezMChabnerBAPearsonD. Role of a doxorubicin-containing regimen in relapsed and resistant lymphomas: an 8-year follow-up study of EPOCH. J Clin Oncol2000; 18(21): 3633–3642.
17.
KewalramaniTZelenetzADNimerSD. Rituximab and ICE as second-line therapy before autologous stem cell transplantation for relapsed or primary refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood2004; 103(10): 3684–3688.
18.
VelasquezWSCabanillasFSalvadorP. Effective salvage therapy for lymphoma with cisplatin in combination with high-dose Ara-C and dexamethasone (DHAP). Blood1988; 71(1): 117–122.
19.
ArnoldTMReuterJPDelmanBS. Use of single-dose rasburicase in an obese female. Ann Pharmacother2004; 38(9): 1428–1431.
20.
HutchersonDAGammonDCBhattMS. Reduced-dose rasburicase in the treatment of adults with hyperuricemia associated with malignancy. Pharmacotherapy2006; 26(2): 242–247.
21.
ReevesDJBestulDJ. Evaluation of a single fixed dose of rasburicase 7.5 mg for the treatment of hyperuricemia in adults with cancer. Pharmacotherapy2008; 28(6): 685–690.
22.
DeAngelisLMSeiferheldWScholdSC. Combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy for primary central nervous system lymphoma: Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Study 93-10. J Clin Oncol2002; 20(24): 4643–4648.
23.
BleyerWA. The clinical pharmacology of methotrexate: new applications of an old drug. Cancer1978; 41(1): 36–51.
24.
ASHP Council on Professional Affairs. ASHP guidelines on preventing medication errors with antineoplastic agents. Am J Health Syst Pharm2002; 59(17): 1648–1668.
25.
ChanATangTNgT. To SMILE or not: supportive care matters. J Clin Oncol2012; 30(9): 1015–1016.
