The hosts discuss the importance of understanding chemotherapy fundamentals, counseling patients, and administering drugs. They explore treatment regimens, valuable resources, and the three main categories of chemotherapy: cytotoxic, immune, and targeted therapy. The chapter also covers important aspects of chemotherapy and previews upcoming topics.
Understanding chemotherapy regimens and their administration is crucial for patient education and treatment planning.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and he-monk.org are valuable resources for accessing guidelines and detailed information on chemotherapy protocols.
Deep dives
Overview of Chemotherapy Fundamentals
In this episode, the hosts discuss the basic principles of chemotherapy. They reflect on their own initial experiences with chemotherapy and how it can be intimidating. They emphasize the importance of understanding chemotherapy and share their excitement about providing fundamental knowledge to their listeners. The hosts discuss the concept of chemotherapy cycles and how they are administered in terms of days and rounds. They highlight the significance of resources like NCCN and he-monk.org in understanding chemotherapy regimens and their administration. They also mention patient-friendly resources such as oncolink.org and chemocare.com that provide easy-to-understand information about chemotherapy, including side effects and dosing. The episode concludes with a discussion on the three main categories of chemotherapy: cytotoxic chemotherapy, immune therapy, and targeted therapy, including antibody drug conjugates.
Navigating Resources for Chemotherapy Information
The hosts discuss various resources for obtaining information about chemotherapy. They mention the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) as a valuable platform that provides guidelines for different cancer types and treatment regimens. They also introduce he-monk.org, a resource organized by disease type that offers detailed information on chemotherapy regimens, including links to original research papers. The hosts emphasize the importance of using these resources to gain a comprehensive understanding of chemotherapy protocols, dosing, and treatment options. Furthermore, they recommend patient-friendly websites such as oncolink.org and chemocare.com, which provide information in a simplified and accessible format. They highlight the significance of providing patients with handouts and materials that explain their treatment plans and help them understand potential side effects.
Understanding Cytotoxic Chemotherapy
The hosts provide an overview of cytotoxic chemotherapy, describing these drugs as targeting and killing rapidly dividing and abnormal cells. They discuss the side effects of cytotoxic chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. They emphasize the importance of informing patients about the potential side effects and the need to monitor blood counts, creatinine, and liver function tests before administering chemotherapy. The hosts highlight the significance of explaining chemotherapy cycles to patients, explaining that a cycle consists of specific days on which chemotherapy is given and that intervals between cycles allow for recovery from side effects. They stress the importance of considering patient values and priorities when counseling on side effects and treatment expectations.
Insights into Immune Therapy and Targeted Therapy
The hosts discuss immune therapy and targeted therapy as two other categories of chemotherapy. They explain that immune therapy involves utilizing agents that stimulate the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. They mention the potential side effects of immune therapy, including inflammation-related issues such as rashes and organ inflammation. The hosts introduce targeted therapy as an approach that targets specific mutations or cell surface markers in cancer cells. They explain how certain drugs inhibit or affect abnormal growth factor receptors and use antibodies as specific targeting tools. They also mention antibody drug conjugates, which combine monoclonal antibodies with chemotherapy to enhance targeted treatment. The hosts emphasize the importance of considering individual patient factors and discussing possible side effects when considering immune therapy and targeted therapy options.
As we prepare for another round oncology series in the weeks to come, we thought we would pause and go back to to the basics. We previously released this episode as Episode 020. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who talks to patients about chemotherapy!
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Picture this: it's day 1 of fellowship and your attending needs you to "get consent for treatment." Huh? How do you educate your patient? We share our tips!
In this episode, we discuss the fundamentals and some of our favorite resources.
Content:
- How do you know what regimens to use?
- What are options for patient education?
- What are the basics of terminology used when describing cancer care?
** Want to review the show notes for this episode and others? Check out our website: https://www.thefellowoncall.com/our-episodes
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