Hospital trials chemo at home
A Brisbane hospital will become the first in Queensland to provide home chemotherapy treatments for some cancers.
The Princess Alexandra Hospital has begun a new program, Chemotherapy in the Home, where patients with myelodysplastic syndrome can receive their required dosage from their living room.
The program is now available for 10 patients, including Cornelis Valent, 81, who was the first Queenslander to experience the new form of treatment.
His wife, Anna Valent, said it has made his life easier.
“So far he’s had 47 treatments and this is number 48 he’s on now,” she said.
“He needs it seven times in a week every four weeks so you’ve got to drive to the hospital, wait for a chair available and it can take up to two hours.
“Now with the home service all we have to do is go one day to see the doctor for results and now they can just come to our home.”
Princess Alexandra Hospital nurse Rosita Van Kuilenburg said the new option is more efficient for patients, cutting costs and time.
“I’ve just spoken to this family today and they’re saving a hundred dollars a month on parking fees by not having to come in for treatment,” she said.
The process of delivering the chemotherapy in the home will require patients to have a prearranged appointment time so the PAH Cancer Services Pharmacy can have the drugs ready within an hour.
A nurse from the Post Acute Care Service then collects the chemotherapy from the hospital to take to patients’ homes.
Ms Kuilenburg said The Princess Alexandra Hospital was looking into ways to use the program to treat more patients.
“While Chemo in the Home is only an option for one of our haematology drugs at the present time, we are investigating more options to be undertaken within the next year,” she said.