The prevention of chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy by concurrent treatment with drugs used for bipolar disease: a retrospective chart analysis in human cancer patients.

Peripheral neuropathy is a major adverse effect in the use of chemotherapeutic drugs. In nearly 50% of patients, chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) has been reported as irreversible. With increasing numbers of patients surviving treatment as well as increasing duration of survival after treatment, reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and improving the quality of life has become a major focus of cancer survivorship. Multiple classes of chemotherapeutic drugs including taxanes, platinum agents and vinka alkaloids list peripheral neuropathy as the main dose-limiting side effect of treatment. We previously found that drugs that interfere with the microtubule function, including taxanes and vinca alkaloids, bind to neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS1), leading to aberrant calcium signaling. The altered calcium signaling can be mitigated by application of drugs used to treat bipolar disease (e.g., lithium and valproic acid) prior to initiation of chemotherapy. Because pre-treatment with these drugs prevented CIPN in mice treated with taxanes, we sought clinical evidence by performing a retrospective chart review study of the VA electronic health record to see whether or not there would be evidence to support our scientific belief that patients treated with lithium or valproic acid while receiving chemotherapy have a lower risk for development of CIPN than patients who received chemotherapy alone. Our data did provide evidence supporting the belief that treatment with lithium or valproic acid concurrently with chemotherapy was associated with a decreased incidence of developing CIPN.

Using nurse navigation to improve timeliness of lung cancer care at a veterans hospital.

The Connecticut Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (CT-VAHCS) sought to improve the timeliness of lung cancer care by filling the new position of cancer care coordinator with an advanced practice nurse (APN) functioning as a nurse navigator. The multifaceted nature of diagnosing lung cancer and the barriers encountered by patients and families as they access the complex healthcare system contributed to substantial delays in diagnosing and treating this disease. Beginning in January 2007 when the cancer care coordinator was hired, she recorded data regarding timeliness and stage at diagnosis for all patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. CT-VAHCS created and modified several processes to improve timeliness and quality of cancer care as soon as a patient's imaging suggested a new diagnosis of malignancy. The cancer care coordinator effected a measurable improvement in timeliness. In 2003, the average was 136 days from suspicion of cancer to treatment compared to 55 days in 2010, with a trend toward diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer at an earlier stage. Oncology-certified APNs in the position of cancer care coordinator can engage multiple disciplines to generate process changes and improve timeliness of lung cancer care.