Impact of pharmacist-led interventions on oncology drug therapy outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objectives To systematically evaluate the management effectiveness of pharmacist involvement in clinical oncology drug therapy and elucidate the unique value of pharmacists in cancer treatment. Methods We conducted systematic searches in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized intervention studies (NRSIs), evaluating the impact of pharmacist interventions on clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Following rigorous evaluation of titles/abstracts and full texts, literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment using validated assessment scales were performed. The meta-analyses were conducted utilizing the RevMan 5.4 software. Key findings The analysis encompassed 20 RCTs and 6 NRSIs with a total of 3859 participants. Meta-analysis demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the pharmacist interventions group for adverse reaction incidence rates, particularly nausea (OR = 0.55, 95% CI (0.44, 0.70), P < .00001), and vomiting [OR = 0.45, 95% CI (0.28, 0.73), P = .001]. The pharmacist intervention group had a higher pain relief rate [OR = 1.99, 95% CI (1.06, 3.76), P = .03], medication compliance [OR = 4.11, 95% CI (2.40, 7.02), P < .00001], and quality of life (QoL) indicators. Conclusions Current evidence confirms that pharmacist-led Interventions (including pharmacovigilance, medication counseling, pain management, therapeutic education, and medication reconciliation) effectively reduce adverse events and pain burden in cancer patients while enhancing treatment adherence and QoL. These findings substantiate the critical role of pharmacists as integral members of multidisciplinary teams in optimizing oncology therapeutic outcomes.