吃瓜官网

A Keck Medicine of USC expert advises how care teams can help seniors safely take their regular medications and chemotherapy drugs.

Medical providers closely supervise any patient undergoing chemotherapy to monitor how they respond to treatment. But that attention takes on added emphasis with senior patients, who tend to have more preexisting medical conditions and diseases, such as high blood pressure, kidney dysfunction and diabetes. 

鈥淗ow healthy seniors are, and how safe it is to proceed with chemotherapy treatments, are usually the first questions we have to answer,鈥� says Christopher Foss, MD, a hematologist-oncologist with USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of 吃瓜官网. 

With senior patients, he says, 鈥渢he safety and tolerability of treatment and potential side effects are definitely more at the forefront of our concerns compared to younger individuals.鈥� 

Older patients tend to take more medications to manage existing health conditions. Below, Dr. Foss discusses one concern in particular: the effects of adding chemotherapy drugs to a patient鈥檚 already complex medication regimen. 

Preventing medication interactions with chemotherapy drugs 

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center care teams comprehensively gather information about a patient鈥檚 medical and surgical history, as well as any current medical conditions and prescriptions. 

鈥淲e make sure we鈥檙e aware of all the medications our patients are taking,鈥� Dr. Foss says.  

In close collaboration with Keck Medicine pharmacists, the oncology team identifies any potential interactions between patients鈥� regular medications and chemotherapy drugs.  

鈥淎t USC Norris, we have specialty pharmacists well-versed in chemotherapy medications,鈥� Dr. Foss says, adding, 鈥淚n terms of monitoring safety and drug interaction, we want to make sure the liver and kidneys, in particular, are healthy.鈥� 

Oncologists like Dr. Foss also collaborate with Keck Medicine nutritionists and palliative care specialists.  

鈥淲e take a comprehensive approach, enlisting the help of many specialists,鈥� he says. 

After assessing patients鈥� health and medications, the medical team then determines if any adjustments need to be made, such as avoiding drugs that could make chemotherapy drugs less effective. For instance, patients might take medication that suppresses stomach acid production but that can also affect the absorption of chemotherapy drugs, especially oral cancer therapies. 

The team may decide to adjust the dosage or number of a senior patient鈥檚 chemotherapy treatments. The frequency of the treatments also might be adjusted to allow more time for recovery between infusions.  

In addition, the team determines if patients need any supportive medications to address chemotherapy鈥檚 possible side effects, such as nausea, pain or diarrhea. Some people in chemotherapy experience weight loss that can affect their blood pressure medications, which then need to be adjusted accordingly. Some oral chemotherapy drugs can lead to high blood pressure, so the team might need to tweak a patient鈥檚 blood pressure meds.  

鈥淲e really make sure our patients have everything they need to support any potential side effects,鈥� Dr. Foss says. 

Herbal supplement and chemotherapy interactions for seniors 

Patients often ask whether it鈥檚 safe to keep taking dietary supplements during chemotherapy treatment. 鈥淕enerally, supplements tend not to pose any interactions with the drugs we prescribe,鈥� Dr. Foss says.  

That said, he advises patients taking supplements to get them from reputable drugstores, not websites or other sources where it鈥檚 unclear how the supplements were manufactured. Supplements with unknown ingredients could damage the liver and kidneys. 

Helping senior patients during chemotherapy treatment 

In addition to providing medical care, the USC Norris team assists with social supports that patients might need, such as transportation and equipment to get to and from their infusion appointments.  

鈥淥ften, the elderly population has unique social and functional needs that we pay attention to,鈥� Dr. Foss says. 鈥淎t USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, patients have access to a lot of support resources.鈥� 

The team also helps patients manage their regular medications while they鈥檙e on chemotherapy regimens, which can be very complicated. Patients might receive chemotherapy drugs for three weeks in a row and then not receive the drugs the fourth week to allow time to recuperate. 

鈥淭he timing and schedule can be confusing sometimes, even for someone who鈥檚 really diligent,鈥� Dr. Foss says. 

Different strategies can help here, he says. Patients can use pill organizers so they know what medications to take on each day of the week. For medications that patients need to take multiple times a day, they can set reminder alarms on their phones. Family members and other home caregivers also can help remind patients when to take their medications. 

Topics

Novid Parsi

Novid Parsi is a freelance writer for 吃瓜官网.

Share