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Cancer Drug Shortage Eases Slightly, But it’s Still ‘Living from Paycheck to Paycheck’
The shortage of cancer drugs is not going away, but it may be easing slightly, a new national survey suggests. Based on questions posed to 29 of its 33 member hospitals, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network said Thursday that 86% of those cancer centers are experiencing a shortage of at least one type of generic chemotherapy drug, down from 90% in May.
For pediatric cancers, the shortage of chemotherapy drugs hits even harder because newer treatments, such as immunotherapy, are not approved for children, Asher Marks, director of pediatric neuro-oncology at Yale Cancer Center, said in an interview. Carboplatin and cisplatin form the backbone of children’s treatment plans, so now that shortages seem to occur more frequently, pediatric oncologists have to fall back more often on methods they’ve used over the years.
Source: STAT