Chemotherapy: some potential risks under antineoplastic drugs handling

There is a large number of healthcare workers who may be exposed to anticancer drugs in different healthcare settings in Russia. Contamination of working environment, throughout the hospital medication system from hospital pharmacy to medical waste facilities, is found in a number of studies. Monitoring of the environmental contamination with these drugs was performed by different methods in various countries. Daily uptake of the anticancer drugs by the personnel exposed for many years may be realized in reproductive impairments and increased cancer risk. The female healthcare workers who handle antineoplastic drugs showed a greater risk of birth defects in offspring, spontaneous abortions, breast cancer and a number of other cancer site revealed by epidemiological methods. Data on the cancer incidence of pharmacists and laboratory workers potentially exposed to the cytostatic drugs are provided. In Russia, the monitoring of occupational cytostatic exposure is required as it would not be correct to apply data obtained in other countries to the Russian conditions. The data for biological and epidemiological monitoring are considered as the background for effective prevention of adverse health effects in healthcare personnel exposed to antineoplastic drugs.

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