International society of oncology pharmacy practitioners (ISOPP) position statement: The role of oncology pharmacy practitioners in immunotherapy treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors for malignant conditions

Oncology pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and assistants are key members of the multidisciplinary health care team (MHT) caring for patients receiving immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP) developed this position statement to provide guidance on the role of oncology pharmacy practitioners in caring for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Four key recommendations were identified: 1) participation as an integrated, collaborative member of the MHT; 2) provision of education and training for patients, students, residents, fellows and other members of the MHT; 3) involvement in clinical governance to optimise the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and 4) involvement in research and development in the field of immunotherapy. In summary, oncology pharmacy practitioners play essential roles within the MHT in caring for patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

[1]  D. Schadendorf,et al.  Relatlimab and Nivolumab versus Nivolumab in Untreated Advanced Melanoma. , 2022, The New England journal of medicine.

[2]  F. Bray,et al.  The ever‐increasing importance of cancer as a leading cause of premature death worldwide , 2021, Cancer.

[3]  B. Menz,et al.  The Role of the Pharmacist in Optimizing Cancer Immunotherapy: A Retrospective Study of Nivolumab Adverse Events , 2021, Journal of pharmacy practice.

[4]  A. Chan,et al.  International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners (ISOPP) position statement: Role of the oncology pharmacy team in cancer care , 2021, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[5]  S. Dalle,et al.  Investigating the Impact of Immune-Related Adverse Events, Glucocorticoid Use and Immunotherapy Interruption on Long-Term Survival Outcomes , 2021, Cancers.

[6]  M. Erman,et al.  The burden of polypharmacy and drug–drug interactions in older cancer patients treated with immunotherapy , 2021, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[7]  N. Chhabra,et al.  A Review of Cancer Immunotherapy Toxicity: Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors , 2021, Journal of Medical Toxicology.

[8]  Baolin Zhang,et al.  Cancer Immunotherapy Update: FDA-Approved Checkpoint Inhibitors and Companion Diagnostics , 2021, The AAPS Journal.

[9]  J. Siderov,et al.  The impact of pharmacist‐led strategies implemented to reduce errors related to cancer therapies: a systematic review , 2020 .

[10]  Jeff Kamta,et al.  Implementation of a pharmacy consult service for evaluation of immune checkpoint inhibitor related adverse events at a large community hospital , 2020, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[11]  F. Roque,et al.  Management of the Adverse Effects of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors , 2020, Vaccines.

[12]  Tonya Ng,et al.  A real-world data approach to determine the optimal dosing strategy for pembrolizumab , 2020, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[13]  A. Chan,et al.  Impact of pharmacist-managed immune checkpoint inhibitor toxicities , 2020, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[14]  Association of Community Cancer Centers , 2020, Definitions.

[15]  Eun Jeong Kim,et al.  Economics of alternative dosing strategies for pembrolizumab and nivolumab at a single academic cancer center , 2020, Cancer medicine.

[16]  S. Sridhar,et al.  Adverse event profile for immunotherapy agents compared with chemotherapy in solid organ tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. , 2020, Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

[17]  H. Gwak,et al.  Effects of pharmacist interventions on reducing prescribing errors of investigational drugs in oncology clinical trials , 2020, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[18]  R. Harvey,et al.  The Role of Pharmacists in Managing Adverse Events Related to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy , 2019, Journal of pharmacy practice.

[19]  G. Coukos,et al.  Adverse effects of immune-checkpoint inhibitors: epidemiology, management and surveillance , 2019, Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.

[20]  Michelle L Rockey,et al.  Demonstrating the value of the oncology pharmacist within the healthcare team , 2019, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[21]  Michael Gordon.  Board , 2019, Definitions.

[22]  M. Levitt,et al.  Adverse Effects of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (Programmed Death-1 Inhibitors and Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein-4 Inhibitors): Results of a Retrospective Study , 2019, Journal of clinical medicine research.

[23]  M. D. de Lemos,et al.  Efficacy of nivolumab four-weekly dosing schedule based on body weight , 2019, Journal of oncology pharmacy practice : official publication of the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners.

[24]  N. Pennell,et al.  Early Use of Systemic Corticosteroids in Patients with Advanced NSCLC Treated with Nivolumab , 2018, Journal of thoracic oncology : official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

[25]  Gregory Riely,et al.  Impact of Baseline Steroids on Efficacy of Programmed Cell Death-1 and Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Blockade in Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. , 2018, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[26]  S. Weingart,et al.  Chemotherapy medication errors. , 2018, The Lancet. Oncology.

[27]  M. Suarez‐Almazor,et al.  Management of Immune-Related Adverse Events in Patients Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline. , 2018, Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

[28]  T. Vuong,et al.  Concomitant use of corticosteroids and immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with hematologic or solid neoplasms: A systematic review. , 2017, Critical reviews in oncology/hematology.

[29]  A. Iyer,et al.  PD-1 and PD-L1 Checkpoint Signaling Inhibition for Cancer Immunotherapy: Mechanism, Combinations, and Clinical Outcome , 2017, Front. Pharmacol..

[30]  K. Kerr,et al.  Management of toxicities from immunotherapy: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. , 2017, Annals of oncology : official journal of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

[31]  Y. Horio.  [Management of Toxicities of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors]. , 2017, Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy.

[32]  C. Rudin,et al.  Nivolumab versus Docetaxel in Advanced Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. , 2015, The New England journal of medicine.

[33]  L. Crinò,et al.  Nivolumab versus Docetaxel in Advanced Squamous-Cell Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer. , 2015, The New England journal of medicine.

[34]  M. Avery,et al.  The Importance of Pharmacist Providing Patient Education in Oncology , 2015, Journal of pharmacy practice.

[35]  D. Schadendorf,et al.  Nivolumab in previously untreated melanoma without BRAF mutation. , 2015, The New England journal of medicine.

[36]  Carolyn S J Ma.  Role of pharmacists in optimizing the use of anticancer drugs in the clinical setting , 2014 .

[37]  Kazuhiro Yoshida,et al.  Pharmacists contribute to the improved efficiency of medical practices in the outpatient cancer chemotherapy clinic. , 2012, Journal of evaluation in clinical practice.

[38]  Jeffrey Braithwaite,et al.  Clinical governance: a review of key concepts in the literature , 2011 .

[39]  D. Schadendorf,et al.  Improved survival with ipilimumab in patients with metastatic melanoma. , 2010, The New England journal of medicine.

[40]  A. Jatoi,et al.  Oral Cancer Chemotherapy: The Critical Interplay Between Patient Education and Patient Safety , 2010, Current oncology reports.

[41]  Claire Anderson,et al.  The global pharmacy workforce: a systematic review of the literature , 2009, Human Resources for Health.

[42]  J. Taylor,et al.  Oral outpatient chemotherapy medication errors in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia , 2006, Cancer.

[43]  M. Munger,et al.  The Clinical Pharmacist as Principal Investigator: A Commentary from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy , 2000, Pharmacotherapy.

[44]  L J Donaldson,et al.  Clinical governance and the drive for quality improvement in the new NHS in England , 1998, BMJ.

[45]  D. Karakitsos,et al.  Clinical Pharmacists as Principal Investigators in Clinical Trials , 2019, Encyclopedia of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy.

[46]  E. Buchbinder,et al.  CTLA-4 and PD-1 Pathways , 2016, American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

[47]  Michael R. Cohen.  Medication errors. , 2014, Nursing.

[48]  C. Doreau,et al.  Safe handling of oral chemotherapeutic agents in clinical practice: recommendations from an international pharmacy panel. , 2011, Journal of oncology practice.

[49]  J. Higginson,et al.  International Agency for Research on Cancer. , 1968, WHO chronicle.