Role of Clinical Pharmacists in the Oncology Ward

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Cancer treatment includes various medications and therapies, both alone or in combination, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy. During chemotherapy with different cytotoxic effects, the use of supportive medications (such as antiemetic, antidiarrheal medicines, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factors) can lead to polypharmacy. For this reason, it is necessary to provide clinical pharmacy services to prevent and solve drug-related problems (DRPs). On the other hand, since most cancer drugs are in the "hazardous drug" class, pharmacists have important duties in the preparation, administration, storage and disposal of wastes. In the mid-20th century, in line with these requirements in the field of oncology, pharmacists started visiting oncology clinics, new courses were added, and oncology pharmacy specialization emerged. In this section, we will discuss the role of the clinical pharmacist in the oncology clinic, as well as examine the steps of pharmaceutical care for the cancer patient.