title: Pharmacists' role in targeted cancer therapy in Australia and implications for pharmacy education.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pharmacists' role in providing targeted therapies to patients and its implications for pharmacy education.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine pharmacy faculty members, 12 clinical pharmacists, and 4 oncologists from across Australia and New Zealand participated in semistructured interviews, which were analysed using the framework method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Education about targeted therapies was seen as being important, although content about pharmacodiagnostic tests was taught inconsistently among 7 universities. Issues including funding, clinical and diagnostic validity of tests, and time taken for turnaround of tests were perceived as impediments to the acceptance by clinicians of the utility of pharmacodiagnostic tests.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pharmacists may be the ideal professionals to interpret test results and provide counselling for patients to assist them in compliance with targeted cancer therapies. Pharmacy education in cancer therapies is critical to training pharmacists who can assist patients in the correct use of these therapies.
authors.affiliation: University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Plevin
authors.forename: Helena M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sorich
authors.forename: Ross A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McKinnon
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001315:Australia; D003625:Data Collection; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D009520:New Zealand; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents