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Late effects of cancer therapy—The role of the clinical pharmacologist
Author(s) -
Hall Thomas C.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(197602)37:2+<1218::aid-cncr2820370833>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - clinical pharmacology , diathesis , medicine , clinical trial , pharmacology , physiology , intensive care medicine , immunology
The clinical pharmacologist, by increasing our knowledge of the molecular mode of action of drugs and their specific anticancer mechanisms, can help to predict which therapies would be expected to have late effects that were progeric, infectious, or oncogenic, and in which organs such effects could arise. By insisting upon the inclusion of appropriate controls, the pharmacologist can help attribute any observed late effects to a primary host‐disease diathesis, or to the direct effects of therapy, or to the indirect effects of prolongation of the life of the host. Finally, by participating in the design and including appropriate control groups from the start of new clinical trials, the clinical pharmacologist can help restrict clinical therapies whose antitumor effects are absent or small but whose late toxic potentials are high.