Hot Topics in Chemotherapy Management

Ana Maria Lopez, MD, MPH, MACP, professor and vice chair of medical oncology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, chief of cancer services with Jefferson Health New Jersey, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, NCI Designated and Thomas Jefferson University, and president-emeritus of the American College of Physicians, spoke with Healio about the managing cancer survivors.

In the first video in this series, Lopez discussed:

• Important takeaway messages for clinicians managing and caring for cancer survivors, such as considering the family or caretakers as co-survivors;
• How COVID-19 impacted individuals surviving cancer;
• Mental health implications and support, interventions to improve quality of life and how clinicians can help support the whole-body health of patients;
• Short-term side effects of survivorship, including side effects of treatment like neutropenia , and long-term side effects which “do not begin and end with chemo”;
• Pediatric vs. adult survivorship;
• Supporting fertility, pregnancy and sexual health; and
• Racial disparities in survivorship and ways to improve equity of care.

In the second video in this series, Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, FACP, FASCO, acting chief of the division of hematology and oncology and clinical professor at the University of Florida and associate director for medical affairs and chief medical officer for cancer services at the University of Florida Health Cancer, spoke with Healio about adjusting treatment doses.

She discussed reasons to decrease chemotherapy doses, including toxicity and long-term effects.

“I do think it’s important to consider our long-term survivors of cancer, those patients who we expect to be cured, to live long, healthy, hopefully productive, happy lives,” Markham said.