HEMATOLOGY/ONCOLOGY
ROTATION DESCRIPTION
ROTATION TITLE: Inpatient Hematology/Oncology
SITE DESCRIPTION
KKUH 25 B and 34 A are heme/onc unit. Patients are primarily admitted for complications
of treatment or disease progression, and small percentages are admitted for inpatient elective
chemotherapy. We also provide inpatient end-of-life care as needed. The Oncology service
includes patients with solid cancers, primarily lung, breast, esophageal, head & neck, bladder,
pancreatic, and lymphomas. The Hematology service includes patients with acute or chronic
leukemias, high-grade lymphomas, multiple myeloma, sickle cell disease, ITP, and TTP.
Clinical pharmacy services are comprehensive, but focus most on pharmacokinetics,
pain/nausea/other symptom management, discharge counseling, and chemotherapy
counseling
ROTATION PRECEPTOR
 Lamya Alnaim, PharmD
ROTATION OBJECTIVES
KNOWLEDGE OF DISEASE STATES
In addition to the general core rotation objectives, the student will be able to
Describe the symptomatology, physical findings, pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures,
laboratory tests, primary and alternative pharmacotherapies, and non-pharmacological
treatments for the following medical illnesses according to patients encountered in the
rotation:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Acute nonlymphocytic leukemia
Chronic myelogenous (granulocytic) leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Malignant lymphomas (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's)
Breast cancer
Lung cancer
Squamous head and neck cancer
Gastrointestinal cancers
1) Gastric
2) Pancreatic
3) Hepatocellular
4) Colorectal
Prostate/testicular cancer
Uterine/ovarian cancer
Renal/bladder cancer
CNS neoplasms
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KNOWLEDGE OF OTHER TREATMENT CONSIDERATIONS
a. Differentiate the approach to cancer therapy relative to the ultimate goal:
1) Curative
2) Palliative
3) Cytoreductive
4) Adjuvant
b. State the rationale for the use of combination chemotherapy in the treatment of
neoplastic disease
c. Describe the criteria for staging malignancies and the role of tumor markers in
the diagnosis and treatment of malignant disease
d. Describe the significance and treatment/prevention of the following
complications observed in the cancer patient:
1) Infections (bacterial, fungal, viral)
2) Pain
3) Hyperuricemia
4) Nausea and emesis
5) Electrolyte imbalances
6) Stomatitis
7) Nutritional deficiencies
ROTATION RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide comprehensive clinical pharmacy services to patients on the hematology or
oncology service.
• Provide education to physicians, nurses, and health care providers about appropriate drug
therapy.
• Design and recommend appropriate dosage regimens for drug therapy based upon
pharmacokinetics, therapeutic index, and patient-specific parameters.
• Develop and initiate alternative treatment plans should the initial regimen fail to produce
the desired effect or prove toxic.
• Select and recommend appropriate therapeutic endpoints for attaining safe, effective, and
cost efficient pharmacologic outcomes.
• Retrieve, evaluate, and apply the medical literature as a means of providing patient-specific
drug information to health care providers and patients.
• Document your activities in a patient specific record as appropriate for therapeutic drug
monitoring, nutrition, pharmacotherapy consults, and discharge counseling.
 All policies outlined in the Student Rotation Manual provided by the King Saud
College of Pharmacy must be followed while on the rotation
ACTIVITIES:
Refer to the Student Rotation Manual
Expected hours
• 8 AM to 12 PM
As patient care requires, the above listed times may vary.
2
Required meetings
•Daily session with preceptor
• Weekly session with Group
Required readings
 As assigned by the preceptor.
Activities for Oncology Rotation
 Each day you are expected to
1- Quick review of all patients in the service for drug therapy problem and recommend
interventions.
-Patients will be divided between the 3 students.
-patients are identified by consultant name (Dr. Diab, Dr. Huda OR AbdualKareem, Prof.
Momen, and Dr. Amer OR Aleem)
2- Be prepared to discuss these problem and interventions

Each students will be required to hand in 2 full case workup in the form provided
with continued follow up through out the rotation

Each week there will be a reading topic to be discussed from the handouts
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