Publications by authors named "Julianna A Merten"

Introduction: The treatment of cancer is associated with high risk for toxicity and high cost. Strategies to enhance the value, quality, and safety of cancer care are often managed independently of one another. Oncology stewardship is a potential framework to unify these efforts and enhance outcomes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The reduced-intensity conditioning regimen, fludarabine and melphalan, is frequently used in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Melphalan and the active metabolite of fludarabine, F-ara-A, are excreted via the kidneys. Existing methods to assess clearance in this setting are based on serum creatinine, which has known limitations for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation in patients with malignancy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of burnout among hematology-oncology pharmacists and factors associated with an increased risk of high burnout.

Methods: Between October and November 2020, members of the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association were invited to complete an anonymous survey. Questions included the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Well-Being Index, and sociodemographic and occupational factors linked with burnout.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following publication of the ALLOZITHRO trial, the FDA released a safety announcement warning that azithromycin should not be given long-term to prevent BOS in patients with a blood or lymph cancer who have undergone allogeneic HSCT. Our site typically initiated azithromycin when patients were diagnosed with BOS post-transplant rather than empirically as prevention. The purpose of our study was to discern whether the use of azithromycin at the time of diagnosis of BOS increased risk of disease relapse in patients who received an allogeneic HSCT for malignant disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Limited data exist regarding the prevalence and outcome of medication nonadherence in the adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) population. The objective of this cross-sectional survey study is to determine the prevalence of medication nonadherence to immunosuppressant and nonimmunosuppressant medications in adult recipients of allo-HSCT. An electronic survey using previously validated medication adherence scales was distributed between December 2014 and April 2015 to 200 adult patients with at least 3 months of follow-up after allo-HSCT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is associated with few adverse effects. We have anecdotally noted patients treated with long-term ECP develop iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of adult patients who received ECP for any indication at Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Arizona.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The development, implementation, and evaluation of a pharmacogenomics education program for pharmacists in a large, integrated multicampus health system are described.

Summary: Pharmacogenomics has been described as tailoring medications to each patient's unique genetic sequence with the goals of minimizing harmful effects and optimizing therapeutic effects. Pharmacists are uniquely trained to lead the implementation of pharmacogenomics in clinical care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Due to Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) metabolism, clinical trials of ibrutinib-treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients prohibited concurrent medications metabolized by CYP3A. We evaluated concomitant medication use in 118 ibrutinib-treated CLL patients outside the context of clinical trials. Seventy-five (64%) patients were on medications that could increase ibrutinib toxicity and 4 (3%) were on drugs that could decrease ibrutinib efficacy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Supportive care guidelines recommend antimold prophylaxis in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients deemed to have high risk for invasive fungal infection, leading to long-term use of voriconazole after allogeneic HSCT in patients who remain immunocompromised. Voriconazole has been associated with periostitis, exostoses, and fluoride excess in patients after solid organ transplantation, HSCT, and leukemia therapy. The aims of this study were to describe the frequency and clinical presentation of patients presenting with pain and fluoride excess among allogeneic HSCT patients taking voriconazole, to identify when a plasma fluoride concentration was measured with respect to voriconazole initiation and onset of pain, and to describe the outcomes of patients with fluoride excess in the setting of HSCT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The objective of this study is to characterize the outcomes of primary antifungal prophylaxis with voriconazole in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We conducted a single center, retrospective, cohort study of consecutive adult patients with AML or MDS at Mayo Clinic between January 1, 2006 and July 1, 2010. The study included patients undergoing induction or first relapse combination chemotherapy who received voriconazole 200 mg orally twice daily as prophylaxis during the neutropenic phase.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives. To evaluate hospital and outpatient pharmacists' pharmacogenomics knowledge before and 2 months after participating in a targeted, case-based pharmacogenomics continuing education program.Design.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Survival after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has improved and the number of allogeneic HSCTs performed annually in the United States is expected to reach 10,000 by 2015. The National Marrow Donor Program created the System Capacity Initiative to formulate mechanisms to care for the growing number of HSCT recipients. One proposed method to increase capacity is utilization of pharmacists to manage drug therapy via collaborative practice agreements (CPAs).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF