Usefulness of Hospital and Community Pharmacists Collaborating to Manage Capecitabine-induced Severe Hand-foot Syndrome in Patients with Breast Cancer.

backgroundThe management of capecitabine-related hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is critical to avoid progression of the syndrome through early detection and early response; management of HFS involves joint medication management by physicians and pharmacists (hospital and community pharmacists). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative medication management in cancer patients with HFS by comparing its effectiveness with the traditional response using monitoring reports from community pharmacists. PATIENTS AND

methodsMedical records of 120 breast cancer patients who received capecitabine therapy between September 2017 and August 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Ninety-four patients who received 6 cycles of capecitabine therapy were included. Patients who received care with co-medication management were considered the co-medication group.

resultsA total of 93 patients were included. The cumulative incidence of Grade 2 or higher HFS was 6% in the intervention group and 68% in the non-intervention group (p<0.0001). In addition, when examining factors associated with the development of Grade 2 or higher HFS, the investigators identified 68 years of age or older (OR: 3.07 ;1.06-8.88, p=0.039) and continuous pharmacist intervention (OR: 0.070 ;0.0048-0.97, p=0.047).

conclusionsThe findings indicate that pharmacist co-management is an effective activity for capecitabine-related HFS to avoid increasing the severity of the disease.