Targeted Tool May Optimize Infusion Therapy Delivery in Breast Cancer

Reshma L. Mahtani, DO, spoke with CancerNetwork® about the background and key findings from her real-world pilot study assessing the implementation of a novel pharmacist-directed point-of-care resource in community and academy oncology settings for patients undergoing infusion therapy for metastatic breast cancer. These findings were highlighted as part of a publication only abstract at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

According to Mahtani, chief of breast medical oncology at Miami Cancer Institute of Baptist Health South Florida, care teams who administer infusion therapies to patients with metastatic breast cancer may experience challenges such as limited collaboration and inconsistent management protocols. The investigational point-of-care initiative, which consisted of regional workshops intended to facilitate the development of evidence-based strategies for managing infusions, demonstrated “striking” improvements in provider confidence, adverse effect (AE) monitoring, and other outcomes. Based on these results, Mahtani emphasized that providing a targeted tool for pharmacists could be a “game-changer” for optimizing the delivery of infusion therapies while improving patient outcomes.

Transcript:

The rationale for this work stemmed from the growing complexity of managing infusion-based therapies for patients with metastatic breast cancer. These treatments, as we know, require careful coordination across the care team to ensure safe dosing, timely monitoring, and proactive management of [AEs]. However, in real-world settings, especially across diverse academic and community practices, providers often face barriers like limited collaboration, difficulty staying [up to date] with evolving guidelines, and inconsistent management protocols. This was the rationale for our study, or the background.

The way that we approach this issue is to address the gaps that I just outlined. Our team piloted a pharmacist-directed point-of-care resource that was designed to support infusion therapy management. The way we accomplished this was through regional workshops. Multidisciplinary teams in these workshops co-developed strategies to integrate this resource into their workflows. I would say the results were striking. We saw significant improvements in provider confidence; AE monitoring; and collaboration across pharmacists, oncologists, and infusion staff. Importantly, this translated into fewer reported infusion related AE and drug interactions. Our work demonstrates that empowering pharmacists with a targeted tool at the point-of-care can be a game-changer in optimizing infusion therapy delivery and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Reference

Mahtani R, Bardia A, Tolaney S, et al. Improving infusion therapy management in metastatic breast cancer: real-world pilot study of a new pharmacy resource. Presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting; May 30 – June 3, 2025; Chicago, IL. Abstract e13115.