Book Description

This book represents the efforts of young oncologists, haematologists, pharmacists and oncology nurses who are highly motivated and encouraged by the significant development of new effective anticancer drugs. Since the discovery of antimetabolites and alkylating agents in the 1940s and 1950s, many new products have been introduced into our daily arsenal not only through chemotherapy agents, but also by means of biological or immunotherapeutic drugs whose side effects differ significantly. The idea of this book was born from a simple observation and confirmation of fact. New doctors in training experience high levels of stress and lack of confidence when confronting cancer patients and explaining a treatment or managing frequent side effects. Patients questions will only add more nervousness, and this will lead to a failure in the doctor-patient relationship, causing the patients mistrust and doctors frustration. Nurses dealing with these patients will suffer pressure too, as many questions regarding antineoplastic drugs will be asked of them and patients expect them to ease their doubts. This feeling of vulnerability in front of a patient, though a part of the maturation process when becoming a professional caretaker, causes discomfort and incertitude. In this context, it is crucial to gain great knowledge about pharmacokinetic and pharmacological features of each active anticancer drug used, as well as the indications, dosages, interactions and toxicities, to be able to face the daily practice of oncology without concerns and manage daily therapeutic complications easily. This may be considered very difficult, taking into account the huge number of active agents doctors manage routinely, but doctors have accepted the challenge and designed a straightforward, comprehensible book to solve this issue. The Easy Book of Cancer Pharmacology provides the means to overcome the problem. It is conceived as an accessible, concise and yet exhaustive tool which displays a vast amounts of knowledge in a very schematic way. It is easy to consult and offers a very practical expertise to develop the ability of managing effectively each antineoplastic agent quickly. It gives the necessary insights to explain this to the patients with confidence. Each chapter reviews one active drug and shows the information with a pragmatic style, and they are divided into different sections. Each section covers distinct aspects of the agent, from general characteristics to more specific details related to clinical pharmacology. In quickly advancing fields such as oncology, such a book is necessary to help update the ever-developing and expanding knowledge of clinicians and patients in an efficient and effective manner.