Impact of Pharmacy Services on Gynaecology Chemotherapy Safety

The Impact of Comprehensive Pharmaceutical Services on Medication Safety in Gynaecological Oncology Chemotherapy Patients

What was studied? We wanted to see whether having pharmacists closely involved in cancer care improves medication safety and reduces severe side effects for patients with gynecologic cancers (like ovarian or uterine cancer) during chemotherapy.

How was the study done?

Who participated? Patients receiving chemotherapy at Peking University First Hospital's Gynecologic Oncology Ward (September 2022-September 2024).

Two groups compared:

Standard care group: Pharmacists provided routine pharmaceutical services.

Full pharmacy care group: Pharmacists provided ongoing support, including:

Checking medications for safety.

Teaching patients how to manage side effects.

Answering questions about drugs.

Helping manage reactions like nausea or low white blood cells.

What was measured? Severe side effects (e.g., extreme nausea, appetite loss), how well doctors prescribed and monitored medications to boost white blood cells, and unplanned hospital stays.

Key findings:

Patients with full pharmacy care had:

Fewer severe side effects: Less extreme nausea, appetite loss, and dangerously low white blood cell counts.

Better management of blood cell-boosting medications: Doctors followed guidelines more closely, and patients received proper monitoring.

Fewer unplanned hospital visits: Likely due to better side effect prevention and early intervention.

Why does this matter?

For patients: Pharmacist support during chemotherapy may help you avoid severe side effects and reduce unexpected hospital stays.

For families: Knowing pharmacists are actively involved can provide reassurance about your loved one's medication safety.

For healthcare teams: Structured pharmacist collaboration improves adherence to treatment guidelines and patient outcomes.

Takeaway:

Full pharmacy care throughout chemotherapy helps protect patients' safety, reduces severe reactions, and supports smoother treatment journeys.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neoplasms; Gynaecological Oncology
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Routine pharmaceutical services; Other: comprehensive pharmaceutical care

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 629

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Beijing
    • Beijing, Beijing, China, 100034
      • Peking University First Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with gynaecological tumours receiving chemotherapy at our hospital

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with gynaecologic malignancies such as ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, or gestational trophoblastic tumours.
• Patients who received one of the following chemotherapy regimens: taxane monotherapy or combination therapy, anthracycline monotherapy or combination therapy, platinum-based monotherapy or combination therapy. These chemotherapy regimens could be combined with targeted therapy or immunotherapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients treated with chemotherapy regimens outside those specified in the inclusion criteria.
• Patients who received only targeted therapy, immunotherapy, endocrine therapy, bone-modifying therapy, or combinations of these treatments.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Control group	Other: Routine pharmaceutical services; The control group received standard care: After the doctor issues the chemotherapy order, the oncology pharmacist only reviews the order to ensure that the chemotherapy regimen and pretreatment regimen during the study are consistent with those of the experimental group. No other interventions are performed.
Intervention group	Other: comprehensive pharmaceutical care; The intervention group received comprehensive pharmaceutical care in addition to standard care. For first-cycle patients, oncology pharmacists conducted patient education, informing them about potential chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions and corresponding management strategies. Patients were instructed on the proper use of antiemetic medications, the recommended frequency of blood routine tests, and the appropriate timing, dosing, and administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and thrombopoietic agents. A QR code for oncology pharmacist consultation was provided to enable patients to seek advice on medication-related issues encountered outside the hospital.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Degree of myelosuppression	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 3 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Degree of adverse gastrointestinal reactions	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 3 weeks
Readmission rate	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 3 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Chemotherapy-related adverse reactions	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 3 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Peking University First Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 8, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 24, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 10, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 10, 2025
• Last Verified: February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neoplasms; Chemotherapy; Pharmaceutical Services; Gynaecological Oncology
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024Y511-002; 2024SF58 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Peking University First Hospital, China)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Hospital patient data needs to be kept confidential

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No