Oral Anti-Tumor Drugs

The overall aim of this study is to develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of an educational intervention for community pharmacists to help them support patients receiving OAAs in the community setting. This pilot randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effect of an educational intervention on the knowledge and readiness in managing OAAs among community pharmacists in Malaysia. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE • To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the educational intervention on OAAs among community pharmacists. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE • To obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of the educational intervention to improve community pharmacists' knowledge and confidence in managing OAAs. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or control group in a 1:1 ratio using block randomization. After enrolling, participants will be asked to complete a baseline survey assessing their knowledge and confidence about managing OAAs. Immediately after completing the intervention, participants in the intervention group will repeat the same questionnaire to assess changes in their knowledge and confidence. Results of this pilot study will inform the design of a larger study to definitively test whether this intervention improves community pharmacists' knowledge and readiness. This research may help better prepare community pharmacists to provide high-quality care to patients receiving OAAs.

In recent years, the arrival of targeted oral therapies has greatly changed cancer treatment. These therapies help patients stay independent by reducing the number of hospital visits, since the treatment is given at home. However, this way of giving treatment brings specific challenges, especially in managing side effects and making sure patients follow their treatment properly. Because of this, many patient education programs have been created to help patients learn how to manage their treatment on their own. Although only a few studies have formally looked at how useful these programs are, the available information suggests that they help patients handle side effects better and follow their treatment more closely. Neuroendocrine tumors are a diverse group of tumors that are becoming more common. More patients with these tumors are now treated with targeted oral therapies such as everolimus, sunitinib, cabozantinib, or chemotherapy with temozolomide and capecitabine. These treatments are often given together with a patient education program. However, so far, no study has specifically looked at how helpful these education programs are for this group of patients.