title: The role of clinical pharmacists in treatment adherence: fast impact in suppression of chronic myeloid leukemia development and symptoms.
abstract: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disease, accounting for 15 to 20% of leukemias, with an incidence of one to two cases/100,000 inhabitants. In Brazil, the estimated incidence of leukemia is six cases/100,000 men and 4.28 cases/100,000 women. CML is characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome. At present, three types of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are administered to treat CML patients in the Brazilian public national health system (NHS), called the Unified Health System (in Portuguese, "Sistema Único de Saúde", SUS). Such treatments are only effective if patients adhere to strict dosage regimens; protocol improvements that increase patient adherence to treatment would have economic and health benefits for overburdened health care systems. Here, pharmacist-monitored treatment is assessed.
  
  
  
  In our study, we applied two questionnaires, one to assess the adherence to pharmacological treatment and another to assess the quality of life. All patients studied (n = 23) were diagnosed with CML at a local hospital in "Espírito Santo" State, the "Hospital Evangélico Vila Velha" (HEVV).
  
  
  
  Treatment adherence was significantly higher in pharmacist-monitored patients than in nonmonitored patients (p = 0.0135). The quality of life of CML patients was also analyzed, indicating that monitored patients had a lower number of symptoms/complaints during treatment periods than nonmonitored patients. Finally, improved treatment adherence also translated into better clinical conditions, particularly during the early stage of treatment (e.g., the first 4 months).
  
  
  
  The intervention of a clinical pharmacist is significant to obtain positive clinical results. Therefore, it is recommended that this protocol be included in the standard NHS treatment protocol CML patient outcomes to reduce the indirect and recurring costs to the health care system caused by nonadherence.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (PPGCF), Universidade Vila Velha, R. José Mauro de Vasconcelos, s/n, Laboratory of Immunobiology, room #33, Vila Velha, ES, 29107-530, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silmara Mendes Martins
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Ecossistemas (PPGEE, UVV), Instituto Capixaba de Ciência e Administração (ICCA), Vila Velha, ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: Frederico Jacob
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Eutrópio
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (PPGCF), Universidade Vila Velha, R. José Mauro de Vasconcelos, s/n, Laboratory of Immunobiology, room #33, Vila Velha, ES, 29107-530, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jessica de Oliveira
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunobiology, Universidade Vila Velha, Vila Velha, ES, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda de Oliveira
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Busato
authors.affiliation: Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Informatica, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain.
authors.forename: David N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas (PPGCF), Universidade Vila Velha, R. José Mauro de Vasconcelos, s/n, Laboratory of Immunobiology, room #33, Vila Velha, ES, 29107-530, Brazil. carlos.tadokoro@uvv.br.|Laboratory of Immunobiology, Universidade Vila Velha, Vila Velha, ES, Brazil. carlos.tadokoro@uvv.br.
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D010595:Pharmacists; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000379:methods; D024382:Professional Role; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cancer; Hospital pharmacy; Monitoring; Pharmaceutical intervention