CAPhO Connections Podcast - Episode 9 with Miranda So

COVID-19 Infection and Treatment in Patients with Cancer

Topic: Showcasing the contributions from pharmacists 

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Learning Objectives:

• Describe the role and contributions of the oncology pharmacist to cancer care during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Discuss the potential complications from COVID-19 in cancer patients, including secondary bacterial and fungal infections
• Describe the measures (pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical) currently available to prevent COVID-19 in cancer patients
• Identify important and up-to-date resources for pharmacists caring for oncology patients as related to COVID-19 management

Guest for this episode:

• Miranda So

Dr. Miranda So is the Program Lead and Research Director of the Sinai Health-University Health Network Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Toronto, Ontario. Miranda received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her work focuses on antimicrobial stewardship in immunocompromised patients.

Resources: 

Information and additional resources mentioned during this episode of the podcast:

• The NIH longitudinal study on cancer patients with COVID-19 (NCCAPS)
• From NCCAPS: Outcome of COVID in cancer patients by vaccination status
• Clinical outcomes of bacterial, viral and fungal coinfections in cancer patients with COVID the CCC19 consortium study 
• Systematic review/meta-analysis on response to vaccine in immunocompromised patients Immunological and clinical efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in immunocompromised populations: a systematic review - ScienceDirect 
• Canadian data: how COVID impacted timeliness of new cancer diagnosis and treatment: Timeliness and Modality of Treatment for New Cancer Diagnoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada | Oncology | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network 
• Evaluation of COVID-19 Mortality and Adverse Outcomes in US Patients With or Without Cancer | Critical Care Medicine | JAMA Oncology | JAMA Network 
• Effectiveness, immunogenicity, and safety of COVID-19 vaccines for individuals with hematological malignancies: a systematic review 
• Ontario Health resources page for healthcare professionals 
• Resource page of American Society of Haematology COVID-19 – US based information
• NIH, US-based
• AMR and COVID-19

Published February 2023