The ongoing shortage of critical chemotherapy drugs in the United States is showing little improvement, according to some of the nation’s largest cancer centers.
According to survey results released Thursday by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 72% of 29 cancer centers across the country reported a shortage of the chemotherapy drug carboplatin, and 59% are still experiencing a shortage of the drug cisplatin. Carboplatin and cisplatin are used in combination to treat many types of cancer.
The survey, an update to one conducted in May that found 93% of cancer centers reported shortages of carboplatin and 70% reported similar shortages of cisplatin, was conducted Sept. 6-20 at 29 of the network’s 33 institutions.
According to the National Cancer Institute, cisplatin and similar platinum-based drugs are prescribed to an estimated 10% to 20% of all cancer patients.
According to the American Association for Cancer Research, several cancer drugs have been in and out of shortage for years, with record shortages this year. In September, manufacturing and supply chain issues led to shortages of 15 cancer drugs nationwide, the White House said. Three of these medications are widely used generic drugs that have been mainstays of cancer treatment for decades.