New approaches to treating cancer are continuously being introduced, and many of these new medications can cause ocular toxicity. This means optometrists must stay up to date on the latest FDA-approved drugs for cancer to determine whether their patients are at risk for ocular toxicity. This was the message conveyed by Julia Canestraro, OD, FAAO, during her lecture, “Optometry’s Role in Cancer Treatment: New Cancer Medications and their Most Common Ocular Side Effects,” which took place yesterday at 3:30 pm.

“You don't need to memorize every cancer drug, but knowing to research the drugs I discussed for potential side effects can go a long way when your patient has a new vision problem,” she said of her lecture.

Implicated drugs  
There are seven drug categories ODs should be aware of, explained Dr. Canestraro. They are: antibody drug conjugates, FGFR inhibitors, BRAF inhibitors, EGFR inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, MAPK inhibitors, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. 

Best practices
She also provided details and best practices for monitoring patients who are being treated with these medications.

For example, when it comes to antibody drug conjugates, Dr. Canestraro asserted that optometrists should perform a comprehensive exam at baseline, then follow-up throughout treatment.

Real world illustrations
To emphasize the importance of attendees monitoring patients using the medications mentioned, Dr. Canestraro provided real patient examples and how they were handled. OM