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Understanding dose calculations in Oncology
Understanding dose calculations in Oncology
Several hundred thousand men and women are diagnosed with cancer each year. A good portion of these patients undergoes chemotherapy treatment. Yet it is surprising that only a very small percentage of.....
Introduction to dose calculations
Most of the patients and even many of the physicians are not well informed about the dose calculation in oncology. Even though on a superficial level, the oncology dosing may appear a bit complex and.....
Why should you know dose calculations?
Each year thousands of patients die in the United States form medication errors. Chemotherapy drugs are very toxic and minor errors in the dosing can cause serious consequences including death. Several.....
Units used in dose calculations
Metric system is the unit used for measurement of distance and weight all over the world with the notable exception of the United States of America. United States for some unknown reasons has decided.....
Metric system for medication doses
Even in the United States where the metric system is not used, the medical doses are usually expressed in metric system. The dose of Amoxicillin for example is expressed as milligrams (mgs) all over.....
One standard dose for all adults
Even though the exact dosing of each drug depends up on the weight of the patients, it is very difficult to make pills suited to various weight ranges in adult patients, hence most of these drugs come.....
How doses are calculated?
Dose calculations in oncology also are based on the general principles mentioned above, but there is one difference. Commonly used cancer drugs called chemotherapy are significantly more toxic than Amoxcillin.....
Body surface area (BSA)
BSA is the total body surface area of a person, in other words it is the total area of the body covered with skin. BSA is the basis of oncology dose calculation. Dont be under the impression that the.....
What is the total dose of chemotherapy drug?
In oncology practice doses of chemotherapy drugs are usually expressed as mgs per M2of the body surface area (BSA). This is much more accurate and tailored to each patient compared to dosing.....
How is BSA calculated?
In oncology practice doses of chemotherapy drugs are usually expressed as mgs per M2of the body surface area (BSA). This is much more accurate and tailored to each patient compared to dosing.....
Formulas used in calculation of BSA
There are several formulas that could be used to calculate BSA, but the most commonly used formula was developed by Dubois and Dubois and it is as follows:.....
Other hurdles in calculation of BSA
If you live in the United States you may have additional hurdles to overcome before calculation of BSA can be achieved. This is because all over the world except in America the basic measure of length.....
Is it that difficult to calculate BSA?
Coming back from the previous section may be you are feeling a little dizzy after reading all that mathematical jargon. You may be wondering if it is this difficult, may be I will not bother about knowing.....
Online BSA and dose calculators
Didnt I promise you that the whole thing would get easy as you finish reading this article? It is going to be easy from now onwards. Having understood the basics of oncology dose calculation, now I am.....
Final word of conclusion
Now you know how to calculate BSA and the total dose of chemotherapy if you know the doses of different chemotherapy drugs. How do you know the standard doses of chemotherapy drugs? Same chemotherapy.....
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